A man jailed for strangling his former partner and threatening to kill her and her children has died while serving his sentence at a Lancashire prison. Lee Mercer, from Skelmersdale, died at HMP Wymott on July 14, 2026, aged 45. Mercer had been serving a prison sentence of four years and seven months following a series of violent attacks against his former partner. An investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death is ongoing.

Strangled former partner during two attacks

Mercer was sentenced at Preston Crown Court in December 2024 after admitting intentional strangulation, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, making threats to kill and criminal damage. The court heard that he subjected his former partner to two attacks over a four-day period. During the violence, Mercer strangled the woman and threatened to kill her. He also threatened the lives of her children and demanded that she choose which of them would die first. Mercer subsequently admitted the offences and was handed a four-year and seven-month custodial sentence.

Dies while serving sentence at HMP Wymott

Mercer was serving his sentence at HMP Wymott, near Leyland in Lancashire, when he died on July 14. His death is now subject to an investigation. Further details surrounding the circumstances of his death have not been disclosed.