Inmate given 10-year sentence for revenge plot on prison officer
Robert Paterson, 45, planned the 'revenge' attack on an officer at HMP Edinburgh, believing he had put his life at risk by delaying a hospital visit after he swallowed seven bags of cocaine.
The plot was foiled when police eavesdropped on conversations Paterson had about the plan through surveillance equipment they had installed in his cell in early 2023.
At the High Court in Edinburgh on Thursday, Lord Harrower sentenced Paterson to 10 and a half years in prison for his latest offending, with the sentence to begin immediately.
He is currently serving a life sentence for murder and is not due to become eligible for parole until 2027.
Lord Harrower told Paterson: 'It is clear your proper purpose was conspiring to commit a serious crime.'
The judge said that shortly before 2am on Nov 15 2022, the officer heard Paterson 'scream that he was having a heart attack' from inside his cell and 'demand' to be taken to hospital.
The officer had seen Paterson swallowing a SIM card he had removed from a mobile phone, and staff at the prison were surprised to see an ambulance arrive when none of them had ordered it.
Paterson's vital signs were deemed healthy so he was kept in prison under observation for a few hours before being taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh shortly before 8am.
Lord Harrower added the officer had been aware of an attempt by Paterson to escape when admitted to hospital in 2012.
At hospital Paterson was given a CT scan and underwent surgery to remove seven plastic bags of cocaine from his stomach.
An unnecessary delay
The judge said that later Paterson began to 'seek revenge' against the officer for what he believed was an unnecessary delay in sending him to hospital.
He set about obtaining a weapon and 'identified an individual who was prepared to carry out an assault' in return for 'drugs or money'. He also discussed procuring a vehicle and driver for the assault.
Thomas Ross KC, Paterson's advocate, earlier told the court his client had reacted after deeming 'the manner in which the medical emergency was handled increased the risk of a fatal outcome'.
On May 2 2025, Paterson pleaded guilty to directing others to carry out an assault and obtaining for that purpose a handgun, ammunition and a vehicle.
He also admitted directing and arranging the supply of drugs and to directing others to steal drugs, watches and money.
Teresa Medhurst, the chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), said: 'As Lord Harrower rightly identified, the officer in this case acted entirely appropriately and it is completely unacceptable that he, or any other member of SPS staff, be targeted in this way.
'We will continue to work closely with partners across the justice sector to ensure that all necessary action is taken to protect those who play a vital role in keeping Scotland safe.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
21 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Haunting 'dolls house' that takes you room-by-room through Bryan Kohberger's student slaughter
The home where four University of Idaho students were slaughtered by mass killer Bryan Kohberger has been frozen in time in a 3D model built by state prosecutors. The three-story property at 1122 King Road in Moscow, Idaho, was once a place of youthful fun where five young women were enjoying college life with their friends. On November 13, 2022, the house was transformed into a horror crime scene when Kohberger broke in and stabbed to death Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin. One year later in December 2023, the home was demolished to rid the college town of the painful visual reminder of what had taken place - against some of the victims' families wishes. 'It is the grim reminder of the heinous act that took place there,' University of Idaho President Scott Green said at the time. 'While we appreciate the emotional connection some family members of the victims may have to this house, it is time for its removal and to allow the collective healing of our community to continue.' Now, days after Kohberger was sentenced to life in prison for the murders, photos of a 3D reconstruction of the home have been released by Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson's office, giving a glimpse inside every room of the home. The images show the interior and exterior of the home, detailing the layout of the rooms belonging to the victims and survivors. The model house is not furnished as it was when the murders took place. It was built by the prosecutor's office to be used as a demonstrative aid at Kohberger's capital murder trial. The 30-year-old criminology PhD student's defense team had objected to the so-called 'doll house' being presented to the jury, arguing that it was not to scale. Prosecutors argued a 'to-scale' model was not necessary for the structure's purpose to show jurors the floor plan layout and be a helpful tool for witnesses when explaining their testimony. Judge Steven Hippler ruled that prosecutors could use the model house during trial, but only for demonstrative purposes - and not as evidence. But on July 2, Kohberger changed his plea, pleading guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary. The bombshell plea hearing came after he struck a controversial deal with prosecutors to take the death penalty off the table. He was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole in an emotional hearing in Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho, on July 23. Kohberger also waived his right to appeal. Kohberger is now being held in solitary confinement inside the Idaho Maximum Security Institution where he will see out his dying days. With the trial no longer going ahead, a broad gag order has been lifted and investigators and officials connected to the case have released never-before-seen evidence and records. In an interview with the Idaho Statesman, Thompson revealed for the first time that Kohberger collected creepy trophies from women in his past life. At the time of his arrest, Kohberger was in possession of 'ID-type cards' belonging to two women he knew years before the murders. At least one of the women was the killer's former colleague at the Pleasant Valley School District in Pennsylvania. Kohberger attended Pleasant Valley School District schools growing up, graduating from the high school in 2013. He then worked part time as a security officer for the district from 2016 through 2021, while pursuing his studies in psychology and criminology. Kohberger's parents also worked for the district, Michael as a maintenance worker and MaryAnn a special needs paraprofessional. The IDs were found hidden inside a glove inside a box during a search executed at Kohberger's family home in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania, following his December 30, 2022, arrest. The prosecutor - whose decision to strike a plea deal with the mass killer divided the victims' families - said the discovery came as a surprise to both women. Neither of the women had been 'harmed or threatened,' Thompson said. As well as sharing new information about evidence in the case, Thompson revealed for the first time which of Kohberger's family members would have testified against him at trial. Prosecutors previously revealed plans to call some of Kohberger's immediate family members - his parents and two older sisters Amanda and Melissa - as witnesses for the state. Which family members and why remained a mystery, with the details kept under seal. Thompson told the Idaho Statesman the plan had been to call Kohberger's sister Amanda and either his mother or father if the case went to trial. He did not divulge the exact reasoning for this. But, as the trial date loomed, the state decided against calling any of the Kohberger family because they weren't the 'best witnesses' and they had not shared anything 'substantively incriminating' during police interviews. Moscow Police have also released a trove of 314 records from the investigation that ultimately led to Kohberger's arrest. The records include details of eerie encounters the students had at 1122 King Road before they were murdered. Goncalves had told friends she had seen a man watching her in the trees around the home and the roommates had come home to find the front door open one day. The home at 1122 King Road in Moscow, Idaho, on November 20, 2022 - one week on from the murders It is not clear if these incidents are related to Kohberger but cell phone evidence does indicate he was surveilling the home months before the murders. Other documents reveal that, following Kohberger's arrest, several women came forward to police about creepy interactions they had with Kohberger. One unidentified woman claimed to have matched with Kohberger on Tinder in September or October 2022 - just weeks before the murders. The woman broke contact with Kohberger after he allegedly asked her a chilling question: what did she think would be the worst way to die? She told police that when she told him by knife, he responded with an eerie comment to the effect of, 'like a Ka-Bar?' Around one month later, Kohberger is believed to have used a Ka-Bar knife to slaughter his victims. Despite the flurry of new information released and Kohberger's guilty plea, many unanswered questions remain, including Kohberger's motive, who his intended target was and why he chose his victims. Kohberger refused to shed any light on the murders or provide any answers at his sentencing.
The Independent
22 minutes ago
- The Independent
Girl, 4, dies after tragic incident at Waterworld
A four-year-old girl has died following an incident at a swimming pool at Waterworld, Staffordshire Police said. The force was called to the water park in Hanley, Stoke -on-Trent, at around 4.20pm on Monday to reports of a girl in a critical condition. She was treated at the scene and then taken to hospital for further treatment but she died there. Her next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specially trained officers, police said. Waterworld will remain closed on Tuesday "out of respect for the family", the water park said. "It is with great sadness that we learned of this little girl's passing this evening," a spokesperson said. "All our thoughts are with her family and loved ones during these extremely difficult times. "Waterworld is in shock and has decided to remain closed tomorrow out of respect for the family." They added that the park is working with the authorities. Detective Chief Inspector Lucy Maskew said: "Our thoughts are with the family at this terribly sad time. "We are now making inquiries and looking to establish the circumstances of the incident. "We would ask that members of the public avoid speculating in these early stages of the investigation and allow the family to grieve." Anyone with information is asked to call 101 quoting incident number 460 of August 4.
Daily Mail
23 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
SNP accused of 'betraying' victims of crime as they wait three years for justice
Exclusive by Michael Blackley Victims of crime are now having to wait nearly three years to get justice in the most serious cases, including murder and rape. Growing backlogs of cases in the High Court have resulted in a sharp rise in the time taken to proceed from offence to verdict. Scheduled High Court trials have soared amid rising pressure on the justice system, which has failed to recover from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Official figures reveal the median time from offence to verdict in the High Court has risen to 1,032 days, almost double the 520 days recorded in the year before the Covid pandemic. New data also shows scheduled High Court trials reached 743 in March and climbed to 818 by June - compared to 390 trials originally projected for the end of 2024/25 by the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service when it carried out modelling in 2021. Liam Kerr, Scottish Conservative justice spokesman, said: 'These damning figures highlight that the SNP is miserably failing to clear the horrendous backlogs in Scotland's courts. 'Thanks to the Nationalists' chronic mismanagement of Scotland's courts, we are still miles away from hitting pre-pandemic backlog levels, despite what was predicted during the Covid period. 'SNP cuts to the justice budget and its failure to get funding to the front line are inevitably leading to mounting backlogs in the system - and that's a shameful betrayal of victims, because justice delayed is justice denied. 'Even victims of the most serious crimes are being betrayed by SNP ministers, as they now have to wait over 1,000 days on average for a verdict in High Court cases.' The figures, revealed by 1919 magazine, show that the median time from offence to verdict in the High Court was 1,032 days in 2023/24, compared to 520 days in 2019/20. In Sheriff Court cases, the median time from offence to verdict in 2023/24 was 564 days, compared to 283 days in 2019/20. Modelling from the SCTS published in March 2021 found that there was expected to be 390 trials scheduled in the High Court and 500 trials scheduled in Sheriff Solemn Courts by March 2025. But the new data shows there were actually 743 scheduled trials in the High Court and 1,004 in Sheriff Solemn Courts, which cover serious crimes like assault and drug offences, at this point. Summary cases, including common assault, domestic abuse, crimes of dishonesty and motoring offences, are also facing delays. Figures from March this year show more than 20,600 cases still waiting, nearly 50 per cent higher than predicted in 2021. The Scottish Police Federation has warned that delays and collapsed trials are wasting valuable resources and draining frontline capacity. An SCTS spokesman said: 'We remain conscious of the impact delays in the criminal justice system have on victims and witnesses. 'That is why our focus has been on striving to reduce the number of cases in the system and the length of time people wait for the outcome of a case. 'SCTS advised the criminal justice committee in December 2021 that we anticipated the backlog created by the Covid-19 pandemic would be cleared by 2026. 'Since then, and through our strong criminal court recovery programme, the number of scheduled trials has reduced from over 43,000 in January 2022 to under 18,000 at the end of June 2025. That is the fewest number of planned scheduled trials since 2018/19. 'However we are now dealing with a substantial increase in High Court business - the most serious criminal cases - which places pressure on a system with finite capacity. 'High Court scheduled trials at the end of June 2025 number 818, far higher than the pre pandemic position of 390. This means maintaining increased capacity is essential to prevent delays for all who use the system.' A Scottish Government spokesman said: 'Scotland is the only part of the UK to have successfully brought court backlog levels back down to below Covid levels - a testament to our comprehensive approach and substantial investment in recovery funding of over £201 million since 2021, which includes £20.3 million to the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service in 2025/26. 'This trend is continuing and we remain committed to supporting justice partners to maintain this progress.'
