57-year-old Clive South, who was the prime suspect for a series of arson attacks in East Cowes, died after consuming a cocktail of drugs, an inquest has concluded.
South was found dead at his home in Princess Close, East Cowes, during the early hours of 18th August 2024 – the property that he is thought to have set fire to not once, but twice.
Number 12 was found ablaze on 16th June 2023, just 5 years after another fire in which 2 vehicles caught alight on the driveway.
The former pizza takeaway owner was at the centre of a major investigation into arson attacks on his own property, as well as a number of vans parked on streets in East Cowes. Between July 2022 and June 2023, almost a dozen vehicles were deliberately set alight in the York Avenue, Mayfield Road, Victoria Grove and Kent Avenue areas, causing around £400,000 of damage.
Clive South died any charges were filed against the 57-year-old
Police later confirmed that South was their prime suspect and, following his death, had closed the case.
A Section 9C inquest, concluded by Senior Coroner Caroline Sumeray on 30th December 2025, details how South died from a mixed overdose of prescription drugs – a combination typically prescribed for pain, anxiety and depression.
Clive South was born in Portsmouth in 1967 and was a carer for his wife, Karen.
His Majesty’s Coroner ruled the death as drug-related.
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