A convicted rapist serving a 12-year sentence at HMP Wakefield has died by suicide just over two years after being jailed.
Bahram Razvani, 33, an Iranian asylum seeker, was sentenced in 2022 after admitting to raping an intoxicated woman while she slept in Leicester. At the time, police described him as “predatory”.
A report from the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman revealed that Razvani had a history of violence against other inmates. In June 2024, he was attacked in a cell, suffering multiple facial fractures and a torn artery in his neck. Prison staff suspected he may have been given an illicit substance beforehand to make the assault easier to carry out.
After hospital treatment, Razvani spent time in the prison’s healthcare unit before being moved to B Wing. On 31 July 2025, he was found hanged in his cell. An inquest later ruled his death to be suicide, with the Ombudsman finding no evidence he was at imminent risk of self-harm in the days prior.
Initially, staff were unable to trace Razvani’s next of kin, but later learned his faith required specific burial customs. They arranged for a Bradford funeral director to conduct the service, covering the higher costs involved. The Ombudsman praised the staff’s “sensitivity and attention to detail”, describing the arrangements as an example of good practice.
