A top-level investigation has been launched after a prisoner convicted of a violent assault captured on a doorbell camera died while in custody at HMP Wandsworth, reigniting public anger over both prison safety and the wider handling of serious violent crime.

The man, an Afghan national who had been jailed following a brutal street attack that was widely shared online, was serving a custodial sentence when he was found unresponsive inside the London prison. Emergency services were called, but he was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.

The Prison and Probation Ombudsman has confirmed it will carry out an independent investigation, alongside internal reviews by the Prison Service. As with all deaths in custody, the circumstances will also be referred to the coroner.

Officials have not yet confirmed the cause of death.

The case has drawn intense public attention because of the original offence. Footage from a home doorbell camera showed the victim being attacked outside a property in what prosecutors described as a sudden and violent assault. The video was used as key evidence during the criminal proceedings and played a central role in securing a conviction.

At sentencing, the court was told the victim suffered significant physical and psychological harm. The judge described the attack as “entirely unprovoked” and said a custodial sentence was necessary to protect the public and mark the seriousness of the offence.

Now, the offender’s death behind bars has triggered a wave of criticism and concern, particularly from members of the public who argue that justice was meant to be carried out through a lawful sentence, not ended prematurely by a failure inside the prison system.

Campaigners and commentators have stressed that while deaths in custody must always be properly investigated, the focus should not shift away from the harm caused to the victim.

“He was meant to serve his sentence,” one victims’ advocate said. “The real injustice began when the victim was attacked. The prison system now has a separate responsibility to explain how someone under its care died.”