Thomas Fowler, aged 74, originally of Wigan, has died while serving a prison sentence at HMP Isle of Wight following an unexplained medical collapse in hospital.
Fowler was serving a custodial term for his role in a multi-decade campaign of child sexual abuse alongside his brother, Alan Fowler. The pair were convicted and sentenced for the repeated sexual abuse of four young schoolgirls between 1979 and 1996, with court records establishing that the eldest victim was just seven years old when the abuse began. The offences spanned 17 years and involved sustained sexual violence against children.
Under UK legislation, all victims of sexual offences are protected by lifelong statutory anonymity.
His brother Alan Fowler, who was serving his sentence within the same custodial facility at HMP Isle of Wight, died earlier this year. His death occurred on the exact date he had been scheduled to appear before the Isle of Wight Magistrates’ Court to face further criminal charges.
An inquest into Thomas Fowler’s death was formally opened at the Isle of Wight Coroner’s Court on 30 September. The hearing was informed that Fowler was escorted from the prison to a hospital facility on 16 September to undergo a pre-planned medical procedure.
Following the completion of the procedure, Fowler was transferred to an observation ward for post-operative recovery. While on the ward, he suffered an acute and unexplained medical episode. Despite medical staff administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for approximately 90 minutes, resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful, and Fowler was formally pronounced dead at 9.17pm.
Coroners confirmed that his provisional cause of death remains unascertained pending the results of comprehensive laboratory and post-mortem investigations. The inquest proceedings were formally adjourned to a provisional full hearing date on 30 March 2027 to allow the clinical and pathological reviews to conclude.
Image – Anonymous Artist Impression
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