'The Fox' died from a heart attack, coroner finds

Malcolm Fairley, dubbed "The Fox", was arrested in 1984 and sentenced to six life terms

A notorious sex attacker known as "The Fox" died of natural causes following a "sudden and severe" heart attack in prison, a coroner has ruled.

Malcolm Fairley, originally from Sunderland, carried out sex attacks in 1984 across Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire, sparking one of the largest manhunts in British criminal history.

The 71-year-old was found alone on the floor of his cell at HMP Hull on 29 May 2024.

Reopening the inquest into the death, Hull's assistant coroner Sarah Middleton, said: "Mr Fairley was a man with significant heart problems and the cause of death was a sudden event."

She added: "But it is impossible for me to determine, on the grounds of probability, when exactly Mr Fairley suffered his fatal myocardial infarction."

Serial sex attacker Fairley prompted one of the largest manhunts in British criminal history

Fairley had a history of heart disease, Hull Coroners' Court heard. He was diagnosed with angina in 2019 and was taking regular medication.

On the day of his death, Fairley was housed on a wing with 85 other inmates and an operational support grade (OSG) and senior officer who were both on duty said there were "no concerns" and they "did not see anything untoward".

The OSG said a "roll call" on inmates was carried out between 18:50 and 19:10 BST, with a further one between 04:15 and 04:45 the following day.

Ms Middleton asked the OSG if they had checked every cell and she responded: "Absolutely."

'Cold to touch'

A "code blue" alert, for inmates suffering breathing problems, was raised at 06:20 BST when Fairley was found by a prison officer at the start of the shift.

Stephen Mayo, a prison officer who had worked at HMP Hull for 13 years, described seeing Failey on the floor of his cell and said he did not respond to banging on the door.

He said, on entering Fairley's cell, the inmate was "cold to touch" and looked like he had "been dead for some time".

Paramedics said it was apparent that Fairley was "beyond help" and pronounced him dead at the scene.

Fairley was dubbed "The Fox" because he would break into the homes of his victims and build dens while he waited for them to arrive.

He would also eat meals, watch television and collect trophies before carrying out his attacks, including rape and indecent assaults, often while masked and armed with a shotgun.

The manhunt for Fairley involved 200 police officers.

He was arrested in September 1984 at his home in Kentish Town, north-west London, after forensic evidence linked his car to an attack.

At the time of his arrest, Fairley had committed 81 offences.

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