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

"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."

"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."

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

Malcolm Fairley, known as "The Fox", carried out sex attacks in 1984 across Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire, triggering 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. Hull assistant coroner Sarah Middleton ruled the cause of death a sudden, severe myocardial infarction and recorded the death as from natural causes. Fairley had a history of heart disease, was diagnosed with angina in 2019 and was taking regular medication. Recorded roll calls occurred the evening before and early the following morning.

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