HMP Styal prisoner serving life sentence for ex-soldier murder dies

A prisoner serving a life sentence for the torture and murder of a former soldier has died in state custody. Lisa Clarke was ordered to serve a minimum of 23 years in prison for her role in the murder of ex-serviceman Brian Farmer, 64, who was found with stab wounds, broken ribs and severe bruising at his Birmingham flat on May 19, 2012. Clarke, 53 and formerly of Sapphire Tower in Aston, Birmingham, died on October 26 this year while a serving inmate at HMP Styal in Wilmslow, Cheshire . The ECHO understands Clarke was admitted to Wythenshawe Hospital in Manchester from the prison a number of days before. The cause of Clarke's death has currently not been confirmed. A coroner officer at Cheshire Coroners' Court requested an inquest to be opened due to the death relating to a person in state custody. An inquest has been fixed for April 27, 2026. The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO), which investigates all deaths in custody, has launched an investigation. The ECHO has approached the PPO for comment. A Prison Service spokesperson said: "HMP Styal prisoner Lisa Clarke died in hospital on Sunday, 26 October. As with all deaths in custody, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will investigate." Clarke and her co-conspirators, Jason Andrews, Peter Knowles and Vaughan Davies, were branded "sadistic" after they brutally tortured the old soldier and left him to die in his flat. Mr Farmer, who had served more than 20 years in the British Army, was stabbed, had boiling water poured over him and was force-fed drugs during his ordeal. Judge William Davis KC said the defendants, who had stayed the night at the victim's home, had initially chopped parts of his hair off and then threw some of his belongings out of the window. But the violence escalated with Andrews using a knife to stab and slash Mr Farmer’s face. The victim was also hit with force to his body, breaking his ribs while an attempt was made to cut off his hand. The judge said: "One or more of you poured boiling water over him for no better purpose than to humiliate and torture him. I take the view that the conduct which you carried out over a period of two hours came very close to sadistic. "All of this to a vulnerable man in his own home when all he had done was invite you in as friends. "This was a cruel and unpleasant way of ending the life of a man who had fallen on hard times, and who, over the years, had done service to his country." Mr Farmer's family said: "The callousness and barbarity of these acts played out in court shocked and sickened us all. No human being deserved to be treated and degraded in this way." A recent HMP Inspectorate of Prisons report earlier this year provided a damning insight into life inside women's facility HMP Styal. Chief inspector Charlie Taylor said: "The vulnerabilities of the women were evidenced everywhere, notably in the amount of mental health need, the four self-inflicted deaths, and near doubling of the amount of self-harm recorded since we last inspected. "Many other safety indicators were similarly concerning. Access to staff was reduced considerably, a fact keenly felt by the women. This was compounded by very little key work support, which limited women’s ability to get their requests or complaints dealt with without resorting to formal systems. "The lack of access to officers was arguably one of the most important issues to address at Styal."