Inquiry to be held into death of paedophile ex-football coach Kenneth Divers who was extradited from Vietnam

A fatal accident inquiry is to be held into the death of a former football coach and teacher who was jailed for abusing boys after being extradited from Vietnam.

Kenneth Divers was handed a five-year prison sentence in June 2023 for preying on four children between 1968 and 1992.

He targeted the boys, some as young as 11, at locations including Hampden Park in Glasgow and two schools in Paisley, Renfrewshire.

A prisoner within HMP Low Moss, he died at the age of 80 at Glasgow Royal Infirmary on 2 February 2025.

As Divers was in legal custody and in the care of the state at the time of his death, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) is obliged to investigate, and a fatal accident inquiry (FAI) is mandatory.

'Tracking down a predator'

Divers left Scotland for Dubai in 2013 before the historical allegations came to light.

Once complaints were made, police agencies tracked the paedophile to Vietnam.

An Interpol red notice was shared with the Vietnamese authorities in September 2021, with Divers located in the city of Hoi An by November.

He was then arrested in January 2022 and extradited to the UK, where he was later found guilty of three indecent assault charges and two charges of lewd, indecent and libidinous practices and behaviour.

As well as the five-year jail term, Divers was additionally placed on the sex offenders' register indefinitely.

At the sentencing at Paisley Sheriff Court, Sheriff Brian Mohan paid tribute to the victims for their "strength and courage" in giving evidence.

Lambasting Divers, the sheriff said the criminal justice social work report confirmed he showed "concern for no one but yourself".

He added: "In fact, all along, your abusive behaviour was carried out to satisfy your own depraved desires."

'The FAI is mandatory'

COPFS has now lodged a first notice to begin the court process for the FAI, with a preliminary hearing to be held at Glasgow Sheriff Court on 25 November.

The FAI will determine Divers' cause of death; the circumstances in which it occurred; and establish what reasonable precautions, if any, could have been taken and could be implemented to minimise the risk of future deaths in similar circumstances.

Unlike criminal proceedings, FAIs are inquisitorial in nature and are used to establish facts rather than to apportion blame.

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Procurator Fiscal Andy Shanks, who leads on deaths investigations for COPFS, said: "The Lord Advocate considers that the death of Kenneth Divers occurred whilst he was in legal custody and as such a fatal accident inquiry is mandatory.

"The lodging of the first notice enables FAI proceedings to commence under the direction of the sheriff."

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