Fred West documentaries and Fifty Shades of Grey? Scots prison chiefs REFUSE to ban X-rated films from cells despite plea from staff
The Prison Officers Association (POA) implored top brass to pull 18+ DVDs featuring extreme criminal activity, sex and drug use in the wake of an investigation by MailOnline.
We revealed that amid an epidemic of violence behind bars, inmates at one of the country's toughest jails, HMP Barlinnie, are free to rent films about serial killers and sexual deviants – despite such X-rated films and videos being outlawed in English jails since 2013.
The POA, which represents rank and file prison staff, said that with 'overcrowding, drug use, bullying and organised crime gang activities inside our prisons, the last thing we need is anything else adding to the tension or temperatures'.
Yet the Scottish Prison Service last week said it would stand by its policy and refuse to review what films criminals can watch.
Last night, Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Liam Kerr MSP said the failure to listen to concerns from staff was emblematic of the SNP 's soft-touch approach to justice.
He said: 'This blatant refusal to review a policy that allows prisoners to watch inappropriate content will alarm law-abiding Scots.
'It sums up how the SNP's soft-touch attitude is embedded across all areas of Scotland's justice system and repeatedly panders to the needs of criminals.
'The POA want this to be reviewed and recognise many of these prisoners are behind bars for violent offences and should not have access to this content.
'Rather than passing the buck, SNP ministers should intervene and ensure the Scottish Prison Service rethinks this decision.'
Earlier this month, MailOnline revealed a list of movies available to prisoners, obtained via freedom of information, include titles such as Saw, The Silence of the Lambs and American TV show Dexter, about a police forensic officer who kills criminals in his free time.
Inmates can also watch TV shows about real-life child killers Fred and Rose West, Myra Hindley and Beverley Allitt, as well as highly sexualised content including Fifty Shades of Grey.
Shockingly, US TV series Prison Break – about two brothers hatching a complex plan to break free from jail – is also available to watch.
The revelations came after it was disclosed there have been more than 250 assaults on prison staff on average annually in the last decade.
This year, the High Court in Edinburgh heard convicted murderer Robert Paterson plotted to have a guard at HMP Saughton 'seriously assaulted' with a handgun.
In 2013, former UK Conservative Justice Minister Chris Grayling cracked down on the availability of such films and TV shows in prisons in England and Wales.
Last week, the SPS was asked by Mr Kerr what action it was going to take in light of the approved Scottish list of films including titles seen to be inappropriate for a rehabilitative environment.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
From planned funerals to spending 'fake' winnings: How dozens of Gala Bingo players thought they'd scooped their share of £1.6million... only to be told it was a GLITCH
More than 1,000 Gala Bingo players were left with shattered dreams and empty pockets after the prizes they thought they had won were the result of an online glitch. The players believed they had nabbed up to £10,000 each from a prize pot of £1.6million on the popular online gambling site. But when they attempted to withdraw their winnings, they were told by the company that they would not be able to cash the money. The glitch in the bingo company's system resulted in the prize pot increasing to £1.6million when it should have only reached a maximum of £150. As a result, 1,188 players were left disappointed and out of pocket. The gambling site then sent out an email to its customers explaining the wins were a result of a technical fault and confirming that they would not be receiving the thousands of pounds some of the players felt they were owed. One family told The Daily Mail that they had hoped to spend their winnings on a funeral for a relative and were upset and disappointed when Gala Bingo said they could not cash the £9,600 they thought they had won. The Scottish pair, who wished to remain anonymous, discovered their accounts frozen and the money nowhere to be seen after playing online on Monday. A Scottish couple had hoped to spend their £7,000 on a funeral for a family member who had recently died and were disappointed when they were told the winnings were not theirs to cash One player even had his account on the website frozen and claims he has had his chat room privileges stopped because he was encouraging others to complain The woman revealed that her partner had recently lost his mother and was over the moon to find the 1p game providing winnings of up to £7,200. She confessed that they both felt like the Scotsman's mother was watching over and smiling down at them. She added that she also tried to cash in on the good luck and enjoyed a game of bingo, taking home £2,4000 herself. The couple were relieved by the surprise windfall and planned to spend the jackpot on a fully pink-themed funeral in honour of his mother complete with pink kilts. The woman said: 'My partner went up to get his medication and when he came back and sat down he looked shocked. I double checked and it said we had won £2,400. 'We thought we could take care of the funeral with no worries about the expense.' The Scot added that she feared something wasn't right when she saw there were as many as 1,000 winners and the jackpost was still available. But she and her partner continued to play and their fears were even soothed by the bingo chat room host who told them to enjoy their winnings. She explained that she believed to have had a lucky streak, winning a pot worth £2,400 three times in a row but when it came to cashing the money, her account was frozen She said: 'I wasn't sure about it all but then the host said "enjoy your winnings" - they obviously didn't realise what was happening.' The 52-year-old woman said that some players were able to withdraw the money straight to their Santander bank accounts but others couldn't. She told the Daily Mail that since the shocking incident, Gala Bingo has frozen her and her partners accounts and even disabled her husband's chat room privileges. because of his complaining. As recompense, she said they had been given some money back in the form of vouchers but felt it wasn't enough. She said: 'My partner is angry and it's become all-consuming, especially at such a difficult time. this has just knocked him sideways. 'It's all been dealt with so badly, it wasn't right.' And the husband and wife weren't the only ones blindsided by the Gala Bingo glitch. Victoria Geer, 28, and a full time mother from Oxford confessed she was 'shocked and so disappointed' to be told by the gambling site that her winnings were in fact not hers at all. She explained that she believed to have had a lucky streak, winning a pot worth £2,400 three times in a row but when it came to cashing the money, her account was frozen. The mother-of0one said: 'I put in £15 at around 8pm and played the 1p Bingo but by 8.30pm I'd been roped in to run-up rewards but I didn't know what that was and then suddenly I got told I had won £2,400 three times in a row.' She said the company's decision to blame a glitch and refuse to pay out was 'very sneaky and crafty.' Ms Greer added that she had thought the prize money was real throughout because even the chat host congratulated her and told her to spend her winnings. The mother told the Daily Mail that she had hoped to spend the small fortune on things for her new baby boy and a holiday but revealed they were all now on hold. 'I was going to spend the money on my 18-week-old boy and get him some lovely things for Christmas and go away on holiday with my partner to Spain for a week in March. 'I wanted driving lessons and a test because I don't drive at the moment so I'm disappointed,' she said. The mother said that while she initially bought her daughter a pair of Crocs instead of a pair of 'cheap sandals from Primark' she was loathed to do any more shopping in case Gala Bingo decided to take her winnings from her bank account. Mother and daughter Susan, 64, and Beth, 31, said they couldn't believe it when they thought they had won almost £10,000 together. The pair said they had withdrawn as soon as they could after seeing the winning notification pop up on screen but their payment never made it to their account. 'We were playing and then Emily said she had won something and it turned out we had won £9,600 each and I just couldn't believe it,' Susan said. 'I was worried it wasn't legit and so I tried to withdraw it but after about four hours it said the payment was cancelled.' The 64-year-old, who recently suffered a stroke, said she thought the money would go some way to renovating her cottage to make it more accessible following the change in her health. 'I was going to spend my winnings on changes to my cottage to help now that I've had this stroke.' She added that she thought Gala bingo needed to be held accountable and said she wanted some recompense for the stress of the whole experience. Bethand Susan received one per cent of the money they thought they had won and a Gala Bingo voucher but have said it's not enough. 'Somebody has to pay for this and something has to be done. 'Why did no one flag the error? I was told I had won £2,4000 three times in a row - how did no one spot this mistake? 'And to only give people one per cent back - it's not enough, it doesn't cover the stress this has caused. We've only got £96 out of the £9,600 we thought we had. Beth had some better luck than her mother and managed to withdraw some of the money before the transaction could be cancelled, but it was just a small amount of the full total she believed she had won. She said: 'I managed to withdraw about £250 but now the rest in my account has been frozen and I can't withdraw it. Some people might have been able to withdraw thousands but we couldn't and we don't know. 'Now we've just been given a bingo bonus of £20 but has to be spent on Gala Bingo and within a week so we're tied in because it's not withdrawable.' She added that both she and her mother would not be returning. Beth said: 'I won't play again. I've vowed never to play again. It's ruined my trust.' But not everyone had such a difficult time and one Manchester resident, who wished to remain anonymous, was one of the lucky few who managed to cash in all her winnings. The woman was able to cash in £2,400 from Gala Bingo and has been spending the money on clothes and shoes for her eight-year-old daughter ahead of their caravan holiday. She explained that she didn't think there was anything odd about the win because she had previously managed to bag £1,500 from the site but withdrew the cash immediately to put towards her family holiday. She said: 'I was playing and realised I'd won at 7.44pm and withdrew the money to my bank account at 7.46pm and it was there within ten minutes. I didn't even think there was anything wrong or it was a glitch because I've won a few times before and once won £1,500.' She added she thought her success was down to her speed and said she assumes she was one of the first to cash in her prize. The Bingo player added that she was also led to believe her success was nothing out of the ordinary because she received an official email from the company warning her to consider what to do with such a large sum and signposting gambling support. But the Manchester mother confessed she has since been wracked with guilt knowing that not everyone was as lucky as her. She told the Daily Mail: 'I feel so awkward and guilty - people are talking about suing them and saying they are owed money but I don't know. 'I can't sleep - I didn't get to sleep until 4.30am on Monday and it's put me off spending the money. ' The mother said that while she initially bought her daughter a pair of Crocs instead of a pair of 'cheap sandals from Primark' she was loathed to do any more shopping in case Gala Bingo decided to take her winnings from her bank account. 'I went to the Old Trafford Centre but I couldn't buy anything, I'm scared that if I spend it and they ask for it back - I can't have that kind of debt. 'I'm just trying to buy sensibly for my daughter for the holidays.' The Daily Mail has contacted Gala Bingo for comment.
The Independent
5 hours ago
- The Independent
Ghislaine Maxwell's Texas ‘Club Fed' prison ups security after taking in the Epstein sex trafficker
Ghislanine Maxwell's Texas prison, dubbed 'Club Fed,' has reportedly upped security after taking in the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficker. Maxwell, a disgraced British socialite who was a close associate of Epstein's for years, is serving a 20-year sentence for her part in a scheme to sexually exploit and abuse minor girls with the wealthy financier. Epstein, who had pleaded guilty to state sex offenses in 2008, died in jail in 2019 while facing federal sex trafficking charges. Maxwell was recently moved from a federal prison in Tallahassee, Florida, to a minimum security prison in southeast Texas called Federal Prison Camp Bryan. FPC Bryan has increased security measures in response to Maxwell's transfer, NBC News reported Wednesday, citing a senior law enforcement official. Two prison employees told the outlet members of the federal Bureau of Prisons' Special Operations Response Team have been positioned outside FPC Bryan's front entrance since the weekend. The special ops crew is there to check people's IDs and wave them through, the employees reportedly said. It's unclear if Maxwell has received any direct threats since her move. The Independent has reached out to the Bureau of Prisons to confirm the reporting, and Maxwell's lawyer, David Oskar Markus, to ask about her security at the new prison. Epstein and Maxwell's names have once again made headlines after the Justice Department and FBI released a memo in early July stating there was no so-called client list of powerful people who may have partaken in Epstein's crimes; Epstein did, in fact, die by suicide, and 'no further disclosure [of information regarding Epstein] would be appropriate or warranted.' The memo sparked backlash, notably from Trump's own base, as it left many unanswered questions and concerns the government may be covering up materials that would be of interest to the public. Amid the Epstein files drama, Trump enlisted the Justice Department to ask the courts for grand jury testimonies in the cases against Epstein and Maxwell and to interview the disgraced socialite. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche met with Maxwell in Florida last month for two days, during which, according to Markus, 'She was asked about maybe about 100 different people. She answered questions about everybody and she didn't hold anything back.' Maxwell's transfer to FPC Bryan came shortly after she met with the Justice Department. Experts said she got 'special preference' with the move. 'Someone gave special preference to Maxwell that, to my knowledge, no other inmate currently in the Federal Bureau of Prisons has received,' Robert Hood, a former warden of the Florence 'supermax' prison in Colorado, told the Washington Post in an article published Tuesday. When asked if he'd personally approved the transfer, Trump said Tuesday, 'I didn't know about it at all. I read about it just like you did.'
The Sun
6 hours ago
- The Sun
Horoscope today, August 7 2025: Daily star sign guide from Mystic Meg
OUR much-loved astrologer Meg sadly died in 2023 but her column is being kept alive by her friend and protégée Maggie Innes. Read on to see what's written in the stars for you today. ♈ ARIES March 21 to April 20 The emotional pull of the moon may try to water down ambitions, so you'll need to stand up for what you most care about. This helps you turn full focus back on what you truly believe, and many doubts disappear. Strong passion power helps you say what you need to say, do what you know is right – and love grows. 2 ♉ TAURUS April 21 to May 21 Your chart of learning and moving forward may be less predictable than you'd like, but keeping you on alert could help you succeed. So instead of fighting changes, make them work for you. In love? Watching an old movie together can open up two hearts. Single? Meet The One where phones are held up. Get all the latest Taurus horoscope new s including your weekly and monthly predictions ♊ GEMINI May 22 to June 21 You could be unsure which of two potential new images is right for you, but listen to your inner voice as someone else might not always share the same vision for your future. Pluto's input helps you spot unusual, maybe even unlikely, chances to skill up and grab a money-spinner. Lucky numbers link to a prize ladder. Get all the latest Gemini horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions ♋ CANCER June 22 to July 22 Stop second-guessing your ability to make a bond the best it can be. You have a transforming power that everyone senses, and it makes people want to please you. This can include a partner. If you start the day single, your perfect passion place can be a campfire, BBQ or outside spot lit by flickering lights. Get all the latest Cancer horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions ♌ LEO July 23 to August 23 You have a unique ability to ask all the key questions, in love and life, and get the right results, even if they're not the ones you think you want. So don't hold back – harness your Mars energy and jump in. A style that is so like yours can be today's number one romance pointer. Number two is a passion for pets. ♍ VIRGO August 24 to September 22 A keen collector might be set to become a major part of your life – this can be a lover and someone your heart recognises before your head catches on. If you're in a relationship, researching objects or words together draws you closer. Your chart of what and who really counts may seem blunt, but it cuts out fakes. Get all the latest Virgo horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions ♎ LIBRA September 23 to October 23 Family questions hit close to home and could bring up subjects you've tried to ignore. You now have the assets and energy to answer them, so do it. Cash wins have an 'L' element and going with your second guess all day can be a positive strategy. Passion and disguises combine for an intriguing love mix. ♏ SCORPIO October 24 to November 22 Reaching out to others, at work or at home, is easier than you expect, so keep trying. But this time, allow everyone to be themselves and resist any urge to change them. Passion is light, bright and a little scatty – new love could begin with a practical joke. While existing bonds turn back time and turn up the heat. Get all the latest Scorpio horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions ♐ SAGITTARIUS November 23 to December 21 Divide people you know, and things you own, into three groups – keep, chuck and consider. When you are really honest with yourself, the results can surprise you. Talking about yourself seriously is not easy for Sagittarius. But listening to a stranger who's had a very similar life to yours could give a positive way in. Get all the latest Sagittarius horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions ♑ CAPRICORN December 22 to January 20 Your chart has Jupiter depth and Saturn breadth – both of which can make the moon's emotional pull even stronger. Your future starts to look very different when you accept not everything may move as fast as, or go in the exact direction, you want it to. Love switches from cosy to challenging and you are ready for this now. Get all the latest Capricorn horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions 2 ♒ AQUARIUS January 21 to February 18 Secrets that were tucked away by accident rather than design are ready to come out. The moon makes this a positive life moment. You could face snap decisions, but trust yourself to do the right thing. If you are with a partner, hold your nerve as a two-way change is close. Single? Groove with an amateur DJ. Get all the latest Aquarius horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions ♓ PISCES February 19 to March 20 A task you don't feel able to tackle alone can become so much easier when you ask for help – but it might not be the obvious people who offer. This can lead to interesting times. Your passion profile might seem matter-of-fact, but beneath the surface you're full of sensual ideas. A recent fan of getting fit can sense this.
