Owen Hollern, aged 78, a convicted sexual offender who described himself as “The Devil”, has died in custody at HMP Edinburgh while serving an 11-year custodial sentence for historic sexual abuse against young children.
The Scottish Prison Service confirmed that Hollern died on 8 September at the Edinburgh correctional facility, widely known as Saughton Prison.
Hollern was handed his custodial sentence at the High Court in Glasgow in 2017 following a trial where he was found guilty of four serious sexual assaults.
The court heard the offences were committed against girls as young as 11 years of age at various addresses in Dumbarton between 1975 and 1988.
During the trial, prosecutors described Hollern as a calculating sexual predator who systematically dominated and intimidated his victims, ruling over them “with an iron fist”.
The court was told that his abusive behaviour continued long after the original offending took place.
In direct breach of an active court order prohibiting contact, Hollern launched a sustained campaign of harassment against one of his victims that spanned three years, bombarding her with persistent telephone calls and letters.
The victims lived with the enduring consequences of his crimes for decades until Hollern was brought before the courts and imprisoned.
Confirming his death, a spokesperson for the Scottish Prison Service said: “As standard procedure with all prison deaths, a fatal accident inquiry will take place.”
The inquiry, overseen by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, will formally examine the circumstances surrounding his death in custody.
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