Latest news with #ScottishPrisonService
Glasgow Times
4 days ago
- Glasgow Times
Glasgow Barlinnie staff saved inmate who cut own throat
Four members of staff rushed to a cell in early 2024, after reports that an inmate had hurt himself. Stewart Anderson, Daniel Broadley, George Dickens and Stephen Fyfe arrived in the room, which was "heavily saturated with blood" after the man injured himself. He also has a kettle of water boiling, which the officers assumed was to either inflict further self-harm or keep them away. Despite the danger, they bravely entered the space and tried to negotiate with the prisoner, who was bleeding heavily. Despite their efforts, the man cut himself a second time, causing the four workers to run closer to him and put pressure on the wounds, while also having to restrain him. READ NEXT: Man tried to smuggle drugs into Barlinnie in snack packet (Image: Mark F Gibson) (Image: Mark F Gibson) Stewart Anderson (Image: Mark F Gibson) Residential first-line manager Stewart Anderson said: "By the time I got there, he had cut himself on the other side too. "We had to put handcuffs on him because he had slit his throat. "He didn't have a lot of strength but we still had to restrain him. It's something I have never experienced before, having to use handcuffs while also administering life-saving care." To mark the heroic act, Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs Angela Constance presented the four employees with Meritorious Conduct Awards. This is the highest honour the prison gives out to staff members who go above and beyond to ensure prisoners' safety. Barlinnie governor, Michael Stoney, said at the short ceremony: "This is the top award, a very rare award, it doesn't happen often. "It should be recognised how weighty it is. It's not one I have encountered before as a governor. "Staff responded without hesitation and regard for their own safety. "The individual was violent and threatening violence. But they knew they had to save this man's life. It was a real and significant attempt to take his own life." Daniel Broadley (Image: Mark F Gibson) George Dickens (Image: Mark F Gibson) Stephen Fyfe (Image: Mark F Gibson) READ NEXT: Should Barlinnie become a listed building? Glasgow responds Angela Constance added: "It's a tremendous privilege to be here today and recognise the service of four outstanding individuals. "They put aside their own self-interest. "It does show that the prison service has, on the front line, people who keep others in their care safe. "We should recognise that prison officers are changing lives and they saved one in this instance. "Between the four of them, they have more than 60 years of service." Stewart Anderson, who has worked at the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) for 11 years, recalled: "It's difficult because you have to make a judgment call. "He had a sharp item and a kettle that was boiling. He did want to end his own life. "In that moment, you know that you need to do something and you are just hoping you are making the right call." (Image: Mark F Gibson) (Image: Mark F Gibson) Stewart Anderson (Image: Mark F Gibson)He continued to say that caring for prisoners is an important part of the job and in the last few years, an increasing number of them needed additional support for their mental health. He explained: "It's a delicate balance, you have to be rigid in your discipline but at the same time, you have to have compassion. "If you aren't open with people, you will get absolutely nowhere. The biggest tool we have is speaking to people and building meaningful relationships as quickly as we can. "My responsibility is the staff, making sure that they know they have support. "It does take a toll on everyone." The 34-year-old also said he's grateful for the support from SPS, including their Employee Assistance Program, which helps workers deal with the trauma they experience on the job.
Daily Record
31-07-2025
- Daily Record
Scots killer who stabbed man in heart in love row to go before parole board
The jealous killer stabbed another man through the heart believing he had sex with his girlfriend. A Scots killer who fatally stabbed a young man in the heart believing he slept with his girlfriend is set to go before the parole board again today. On June 4 2019, Robbie Smullen, then aged 23, was convicted of a reduced charge of culpable homicide at Edinburgh High Court after he plunged a knife into Barry Dixon, 22, killing him at a flat in Wallace Court, Perth. He was sentenced to nine years and three months imprisonment. Just six years on, today's appearance before the parole board will be Smullen's second after being denied release in October last year, the Courier reports. He was granted temporary release by the Scottish Prison Service the following month - which means he was allowed unescorted day outings from jail. The family of Barry Dixon have been broken since his death with his aunt Jade Taylor, who helped raise Barry after his parents died, spoking to the Record in the days following the sentence. She said: 'Days on, we are still in utter disbelief and we are hoping for news that the Crown Office will appeal this unduly lenient sentence." "It's never going to be okay that Barry isn't here with us. The pain of missing him and way his life was taken is intolerable. "We are alive but we are no longer living. It's never going to be okay that he isn't here and we will never get over it. "I just hope Barry always knew how loved he was and that he will never be forgotten." Barry was knifed in the chest after going back to the flat with Smullen's 'on/off' partner Shannon Beattie. Smullen was on three different bail orders at the time. During the trial, Smullen claimed the fatal injury was inflicted when Barry pulled a knife on him and they both 'tripped and fell' during a struggle over the weapon. However, the jury rejected his defence of self-defence and returned a majority verdict of culpable homicide. Judge Lady Carmichael said the killer had been 'disinhibited by alcohol and the effects of sexual jealously' and no sentence imposed could 'repair or lessen the harm done to the family of Barry Dixon'. Smullen's mother Mary Smullen had been on trial alongside him and pleaded guilty to attempting to pervert the course of justice by pretending to police that Barry was stabbed by Ms Beattie. She was ordered to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work During the trial, Shannon Beattie told the court she witnessed Smullen stab Barry. She described meeting Barry in another woman's home on the evening of June 3 2019, and they ended up together in her flat where they kissed. Shannon said Smullen arrived home and branded her a 'f*****g s**g' with a fight breaking out between him and Barry before 'Robbie stabbed him in the chest'. Witness Brian Henderson said he'd been at his partner's home near Mary's Smullen's address when Robbie Smullen came to their door, saying: 'I think I've killed someone, I think I've killed someone.' Brian added: '(Robbie) was going on about the boy he killed saying, 'I'm glad I killed him, he's a d**k' or something to that effect.' Barry was taken to Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, but suffered a cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead at 5.53am. The Parole Board for Scotland has been contacted for comment. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
BBC News
21-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Family backs bill to prosecute prisons for custody deaths
The family of a woman who took her own life in a Scottish jail have backed an MP's bill which would allow prisons to be prosecuted for the deaths of MP Blair McDougall will present a ten minute rule bill to Westminster on Wednesday calling for Crown immunity in UK prison estates to be current laws, the Crown, which includes the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), cannot be held criminally responsible for deaths in represents the constituency of Linda and Stuart Allan whose daughter Katie, 21, died in Polmont Young Offenders Institution in 2018. Last year a fatal accident inquiry (FAI) into the deaths of Katie and William Brown,16, found that a breach of the Health and Safety Act at the prison "materially contributed" to their Allan was jailed for 16 months in March 2018 for causing serious injury by dangerous driving and driving over the alcohol - also known as William Lindsay - had been remanded in custody after walking into Saracen Street police station in Glasgow while carrying a Scottish government accepted the findings of the FAI and said it had pursued a change in the law to scrap Crown immunity, but that it would require UK government Medhurst, head of the Scottish Prison Service, has also said it should face the possibility of prosecution over deaths in Immunity has previously been scrapped for the NHS and said the move would introduce accountability into the prison East Renfrewshire MP told BBC Scotland News: "I want to see Crown immunity lifted so that when there are failings in health and safety duties by prisons they are held to account for it."At the moment they are untouchable, they can fail again and again."People, particularly young prisoners, can lose their lives and there is no consequence for that."If his private members' bill passes it will proceed to the next stage in the legislative process. Katie Allan's mother, Linda, has been lobbying for change in the Scottish Prison Service since her daughter's approached McDougall, who is her local MP, at his first surgery after the general election last year to raise the issue and said he had been supportive ever Allan said: "We've always said justice for us would be the removal of Crown immunity. There's no meaning in losing a child but it would be a legacy for us."It means that in death Katie has done something good. That her death hasn't been meaningless. "It means that perhaps her death might save the lives of other people in the future."Ms Allan said it "sticks with her" that NHS Forth Valley could also not be prosecuted for any role they played in Katie's death - despite not having Crown immunity - as health care services were provided on the prison Forth Valley have been approached for she said if Katie had been in a private prison at the time of her death, a prosecution would have been be Allan said the introduction of the bill was an important day for families who had lost loved ones to "preventable deaths" in prisons across the UK and would play a part in improving safety in added: "If you look for example at the police service, when it lost Crown immunity, safety standards started to increase in terms of cell custody and police stations."So you would hope the same would happen across the prison estate." What is Crown immunity? Crown immunity is a legal principle which means that legislation does not normally apply to the it means the state, including government and official bodies such as the prison service - and sometimes its employees or agents - can be protected from being charged with criminal offences created by example, if a person dies while in custody at a jail, the Crown could not be held criminally responsible for their does not shield them from civil liability, such as the case brought by the family of Allan Marshall, who died after being restrained by up to 17 prison officers at HMP Edinburgh in immunity was removed from the NHS over 30 years ago as part of the National Health Service and Community Care Act was introduced after a series of scandals, including a salmonella food poisoning outbreak in 1984 that contributed to the death of 19 Scotland, Crown immunity may not always protect prison officers or example, if they are caught using, possessing or giving a "personal communication device," such as a mobile phone, to a prisoner.A provision of the Health and Safety at Work Act also states that, regardless of whether Crown immunity applies, an individual can be prosecuted if they cause a also doesn't apply to privately managed jails, like HMP Addiewell which is the only prison in Scotland which is privately have long challenged the law, arguing that the public and private sectors do not operate on a level playing field.
Daily Record
19-07-2025
- Daily Record
Gangland clan the Lyons mocked in footage filmed from behind bars
The video was posted just two days after the joint funeral of Lyons mob lieutenants, Eddie Lyons and Ross Monaghan, who were gunned down in the Spanish city of Fuengirola Footage has emerged of gangland family the Lyons being mocked by supporters of rival gangsters from behind bars. A video, which is believed to have been filmed within Edinburgh's Saughton Prison, was posted online on Sunday, July 6, showing six caged hoods with their faces masked. The 14-second-long clip was captioned "F*** the L mob haha keeman" and showed the unidentified crooks in it making hand gestures to the camera and shouting. Laughs and chants of "yes" could be heard, while the person believed to be filming the video shouted: "Haha. F*** the L mob! F*** that Lyons mob!". The video was posted just two days after the joint funeral of Lyons mob lieutenants, Eddie Lyons and Ross Monaghan, who were gunned down in the Spanish city of Fuengirola in May, after watching the Champions League final together. The account that posted the footage, which we have chosen not to identify, has posted a number of videos in support of the so-called A Team - the group claiming to work for the Daniel crime clan and Edinburgh-based associate Mark Richardson, who is currently behind bars himself. Jail bosses have refused to say whether the video is being investigated, but it's understood a probe is underway to identify those on the footage - and who filmed it. A Scottish Prison Service Spokesperson said: "Whilst we do not comment on individuals, we are aware of a video that has been posted to social media. ' Our staff work extremely hard to tackle the introduction of illicit articles, and we are continuously working to reduce their availability and supply across the prison estate.' Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Yesterday it emerged that the extradition hearing for Michael Riley, the man accused of gunning down the Scottish gangsters in a Spanish pub, has been delayed. The 44-year-old has been charged over the double assassination, which took place at Monaghan's Irish Bar in the Costa del Sol city of Fuengirola. The Spanish authorities are trying to extradite him to Spain so he can go on trial over the killings, which were carried out on the evening of Saturday, May 31, 2025. Riley, of Huyton, Liverpool, is remanded in custody at Wandsworth Prison and was due to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on October 9 for his extradition hearing. But today the court heard that the hearing is now expected to take place at the same court on November 20, five weeks later than originally planned. Another hearing is due to take place in August. The Lyons crime gang has been at war with the rival Daniel mob for a quarter of a century, with the feud starting in the early 2000s when the Lyons gang were blamed after cocaine belonging to the Daniels was swiped from a safe house during a party. What followed was decades of tit-for-tat shootings, ambushes and knife attacks. Spanish police said Riley was a member of the Daniel gang, but Police Scotland have denied a link between the murders and their lengthy feud.
Daily Mail
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Fred West documentaries and Fifty Shades of Grey? Scots prison chiefs REFUSE to ban X-rated films from cells despite plea from staff
Prison chiefs have shot down calls by frontline staff to ban some of Scotland's most hardened criminals from watching X-rated films and TV shows in their cells. 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.
