Scotland Hall of Shame

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HALL OF SHAME

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Abbey National Bank
Securicor
March 4, 2003
Two security guards have been robbed at gunpoint of about 100,00 at a bank in Edinburgh. They were confronted by two masked men brandishing a shotgun as they replenished a cash dispenser at the Morningside Road branch of the Abbey National. One of the security guards, who work for Securicor, was slightly injured when he was hit in the mouth. (BBC News)

Addiewell
Sodexho
December 4, 2007 Press Association
Taxpayers face being "ripped off" by many flagship projects funded through the private sector, justice secretary Kenny MacAskill has told MSPs. Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and the new private prison planned for Addiewell in West Lothian, both had their value called into question by Mr MacAskill. He was giving evidence to Holyrood's Justice Committee on the impact of of next year's budget on his justice portfolio. The SNP has always opposed the used of public private partnerships to help fund the construction of projects like schools, hospitals and prisons. The issue is not just ideological, but also a matter for the public purse, Mr MacAskill told Labour's Paul Martin. "I believe and this government believes, that our people have frankly received poor value, if not been ripped off, in many instances, by many flagship projects. "And they're as inappropriate in prisons as they are in health." Mr MacAskill told the committee that the new prison being built at Addiewell, agreed by the last administration, is likely to cost about £24-25 million annually over the next 25 years. This is more than £600 million in total. "I have to say that 25 times 25 is significantly more than what a prison costs in construction, something in the region of £120-140 million," he said. "The fact of the matter is we can build a prison for significantly less than we will end up paying in annualised payments. I think the taxpayers of Scotland are entitled to ask why we signed that off in the first place," he said.

May 20, 2007 Scotsman
PLANS to build two new prisons using private money are set to be scrapped by the SNP, in the first major change of policy since it gained power at Holyrood. Labour insiders claim the plans will cost as much as £750m over the next 20 years, and will lead to lengthy delays in easing the current overcrowding crisis. The move to bring two jail projects back into public control will place the SNP in direct conflict with prison chiefs and civil servants who have already started signing off the deals with private firms to construct the desperately needed institutions. The row centres on two 700-capacity prisons at Low Moss near Bishopbriggs and in Addiewell in West Lothian. Construction work has already begun at Addiewell, with a private consortium having been given the contract to start. A bid to construct Low Moss in the public sector was knocked back by prison chiefs earlier this month, paving the way for another private deal. The SNP insists that moving the two jails into the public sector will bring an end to firms profiteering from imprisonment and - in the long term - benefit the public purse. The decision by the new SNP government to challenge the move is set to be one of the first major flashpoints of its period in office.

October 1, 2006 Sunday Herald
PLANS by ministers to extend the use of private jails in Scotland have been condemned as “mistaken” and “short-sighted” by a leading expert on penal systems. Baroness Vivien Stern, a cross-bench peer in the House of Lords and a senior research fellow at the International Centre for Prison Studies at King’s College London, also revealed that when the country’s second private jail – Addiewell – opens in 2009, Scotland will have, proportionately, more inmates housed in private prisons than any other country in the world. The new £65 million jail is being built on a 35-acre site in West Lothian. It is to be run by Royal Bank Project Investments, Sodexho Investment Services and Interserve PFI 2005 under the name Addiewell Prison Ltd. But Stern predicted that further privatising the jail system would drive down wages, waste taxpayers’ money and hamper efforts to reduce re-offending. She said: “My view is that this is a mistaken route. The point is that the contract ties you in for 25 years, which means that any new ideas about penal policy that develop in the next 25 years will come up against a contract that’s been signed and has to run.

January 30, 2004
OBJECTIONS to a new jail in West Lothian are more than just "nimbyism", SNP Lothians MSP Fiona Hyslop has told the Scottish Parliament. And she appealed for communities close to the proposed site for the 700-inmate prison near Addiewell to be told whether it would be privately-built and run. Ms Hyslop said the issue of whether the new jail was public or private was a matter of concern for locals, 300 of whom had attended a public meeting about the plans. "The majority wanted to express they were not just interested in nimby arguments. They are interested in whether it’s to be a private prison. Is it right that private profits should be made as a result of the state’s decision to incarcerate someone?" (Scotsman)

May 30, 2003
A SITE in central Scotland has been identified as the preferred location for a 700-inmate high security jail and could become Scotland's second privately-run prison. Danny Russell, Addiewell community council secretary, said: "The survey we carried out was only just against the prison, but a lot of people didn't take part because they thought it wouldn't materialise. Personally, I am against it. I just can't see it bringing in as many jobs and money as they say. I wonder what would have happened had the community known the plan was at this stage before the election." News of the privately financed project prompted an angry reaction from the Prison Officers Association of Scotland (POAS), which pointed to problems experienced at Kilmarnock, Scotland's sole privately run prison. Last year it was revealed two inmates were released incorrectly and in another incident a prisoner went missing inside the jail, run by Premier Prisons. A spokesman for POAS said the union was against private funding of prisons, adding: "We are outraged that another privately-run, privately-built prison has been given the go-ahead, given the performance at Kilmarnock." (The Herald)

Dungavel Immigration Centre
Premier
May 18, 2005 BBC
Chief Inspector of Prisons Anne Owers said provision for children at the Dungavel immigration detention centre in Lanarkshire was "inadequate". Ms Owers also attacked the "seriously deficient" protection of children at Tinsley House near Gatwick. Home Office Minister Tony McNulty said detention must be carried out with humanity and dignity. Ms Owers said the Dungavel centre, which holds failed asylum seekers before deportation, had failed to implement recommendations made during a visit two years earlier. She said she was "extremely concerned" about children at the centre, and in all the immigration removal centres she had inspected. "Obviously the detention of children is a very sensitive matter which should be exceptional and only for a very short period," she told BBC News. "The problem was that in neither of those centres were there proper independent procedures in place so that the welfare needs of those children could be properly identified and met, and so that any serious concerns could be raised quickly." Dungavel House is Scotland's only immigration removal centre. On Tinsley House, Ms Owers said there was no dedicated child protection officer, and inadequate criminal record checks on staff. The privately-run centre was also attacked for weak complaints and race relations procedures. Linda Fabiani, deputy convener of the Scottish Parliament's cross-party group on refugees, condemned the "disgraceful" provision of care for children at Dungavel. "This report is a damning indictment of the centre and the Scottish Executive's policy on the handling of asylum seekers," the Scottish National Party MSP said. "The executive must now tell the Home Office that it is not acceptable that these children are being failed on Scottish soil and demand action now." The Scottish Socialist Party MSP, Rosie Kane, said: "Dungavel detention centre is Scotland's national disgrace. "The detention of innocent men, women and children on Scottish soil is an abuse of human rights, of the right under international law to seek asylum. "The detention of children is absolutely barbaric."

July 25, 2004
An investigation has been launched after a man was found dead at the Dungavel immigration centre. The Home Office confirmed that there was a death on Friday night, but refused to give any further details. It is understood that the death at the Lanarkshire centre is not being treated as suspicious. Human rights lawyer Aamer Anwar claimed that the man had committed suicide after he was moved from a centre in west London following a riot. There was a disturbance at Harmondsworth earlier this month after a 31-year-old detainee was found hanged. (BBC)

Edinburgh Court of Appeal
Edinburgh
Reliance
November 24, 2004 BBC
A man is due to appear in court after a security guard was allegedly stabbed inside the Court of Appeal building in Edinburgh on Tuesday afternoon. The man was arrested after the incident in which the guard, who is in his 50s, was injured. A Reliance spokesman said: "We are investigating the situation and co-operating fully with the police and the Scottish Prison Service in their investigations." The security firm only started operating services in the capital last month after it successfully completed a shadowing operation in the Lothian and Borders force area.

Executive
May 20, 2008 Scotland on Sunday
PLANS to build two new prisons using private money are set to be scrapped by the SNP, in the first major change of policy since it gained power at Holyrood. Labour insiders claim the plans will cost as much as £750m over the next 20 years, and will lead to lengthy delays in easing the current overcrowding crisis. The move to bring two jail projects back into public control will place the SNP in direct conflict with prison chiefs and civil servants who have already started signing off the deals with private firms to construct the desperately needed institutions. The row centres on two 700-capacity prisons at Low Moss near Bishopbriggs and in Addiewell in West Lothian. Construction work has already begun at Addiewell, with a private consortium having been given the contract to start. A bid to construct Low Moss in the public sector was knocked back by prison chiefs earlier this month, paving the way for another private deal. The SNP insists that moving the two jails into the public sector will bring an end to firms profiteering from imprisonment and - in the long term - benefit the public purse. The decision by the new SNP government to challenge the move is set to be one of the first major flashpoints of its period in office. New Cabinet Secretary for Justice, Kenny MacAskill, is expected to meet chiefs from the Scottish Prison Service this week. The new SNP administration has made the matter an "urgent priority" as they seek to prevent more private-public partnerships being introduced. The two new jails were first backed by ministers in 2002 to house 1,400 inmates. An SNP source said: "We are committed to our position. There is no contract signed at Low Moss so it is simply a matter for ministers to decide over. We will look at Addiewell as well." The SNP has said previously it may consider building the new jails through not-for-profit trusts. It argues that, over the long term, such deals would be far cheaper because the government would not have to pay out hefty fees to the private firms who run them. But Labour insiders insist that bringing Low Moss into the public sector would increase costs from £750m over the next 20 years to more than £1.5bn.

December 4, 2007 Press Association
Taxpayers face being "ripped off" by many flagship projects funded through the private sector, justice secretary Kenny MacAskill has told MSPs. Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and the new private prison planned for Addiewell in West Lothian, both had their value called into question by Mr MacAskill. He was giving evidence to Holyrood's Justice Committee on the impact of of next year's budget on his justice portfolio. The SNP has always opposed the used of public private partnerships to help fund the construction of projects like schools, hospitals and prisons. The issue is not just ideological, but also a matter for the public purse, Mr MacAskill told Labour's Paul Martin. "I believe and this government believes, that our people have frankly received poor value, if not been ripped off, in many instances, by many flagship projects. "And they're as inappropriate in prisons as they are in health." Mr MacAskill told the committee that the new prison being built at Addiewell, agreed by the last administration, is likely to cost about £24-25 million annually over the next 25 years. This is more than £600 million in total. "I have to say that 25 times 25 is significantly more than what a prison costs in construction, something in the region of £120-140 million," he said. "The fact of the matter is we can build a prison for significantly less than we will end up paying in annualised payments. I think the taxpayers of Scotland are entitled to ask why we signed that off in the first place," he said.

September 5, 2007 The Herald
Low-paid prison officers employed in the private sector are more vulnerable to the temptation of corruption, according to Kenny MacAskill. The Justice Secretary told MSPs yesterday that is one of the reasons why he does not want to see private companies running prisons. He said the only way corporations can run prisons more cheaply than the public sector is by having lower wages for staff, compromising security and morale. Appearing before Holyrood's Justice Committee, the Justice Minister disclosed the wide gulf in prisoner-warder ratios between the public sector and Kilmarnock Prison, with 4500 staff for a prison population of more than 7000, while the Ayrshire prison has 200 staff for 550 inmates. Mr MacAskill said some of that was because of the design of old prisons, and that the only saving from the private sector provision of prisons is in the wage bill: "I believe the prison officers in Scotland do an excellent job in very difficult circumstance, and I think we have to reward and treat them fairly. "I believe any strategy seeking to reduce what they are paid would not only damage them, it would damage security in our prisons." His appearance before the committee came days after the minister promised a radical shift in prison policy.

August 23, 2007 BBC
Plans for a £100m prison to be run by the private sector have been scrapped, Scottish ministers have said. The 700-cell jail, to replace Low Moss near Bishopbriggs, which closed in May, will instead be run by the Scottish Prison Service. Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said prisons should be owned and operated by the public sector. Labour leader-elect Wendy Alexander said it was right to proceed with a privately built but publicly run jail. The closure of Low Moss, which held 200 inmates, came after a prison review in 2002, under the previous Labour/Lib Dem government. The review resulted in a decision to build a private prison at Addiewell in West Lothian and a second prison at Low Moss for which the public and private sector would compete. However, Mr MacAskill said the Addiewell jail, along with the current private prison at Kilmarnock, could not be brought under public control. "Prisons are sadly required in our society - we don't live in a Utopia," he told BBC Scotland. "But they should be owned and operated by the public sector." Wider strategy -- The justice secretary added: "Prisons are for public safety, not for private profit. So we are drawing a line in the sand." "Had we not made this change at Bishopbriggs, Scotland would have veered towards a situation where a quarter of our prisoners would have been in private prisons. "That would be the highest in the developed world - greater than in the United States, and even in Arnold Schwarzenegger's California." The procurement process for the Low Moss replacement is to be suspended and bids will instead be invited from the private sector to design a prison that will be operated publicly.

May 26, 2007 The Scotsman
THE new Nationalist government is studying radical plans to nationalise Scotland's only privately-run prison, The Scotsman can reveal. Kenny MacAskill, the cabinet secretary for justice, has asked Executive civil servants urgently to tell him what it would cost to bring the controversial jail into the public ownership. The plan, which has been confirmed by John Swinney, the cabinet secretary for finance, comes after moves by the new government to stop the building of two new private prisons in Scotland. Mr MacAskill is looking at ways of preventing the proposed 700-capacity prison on the site of the existing Low Moss jail, near Bishopbriggs, from being run by the private sector. He has asked officials how much it would cost to buy out the contract for the Addiewell jail being built in West Lothian. Now he and his colleagues have gone a step further, asking civil servants if they can abolish private jails altogether - a longstanding policy of the SNP. The confirmation of the policy came from Mr Swinney. When asked by The Scotsman whether the SNP would try to take Kilmarnock into the Scottish Prison Service, he replied: "We have to look at what options are available to us and that's what we will do." Asked whether they would reverse the policy of the previous Labour/Lib Dem administration which supported the use of Kilmarnock as value for money, he added: "That's where I get into the ground where I would have to unpick existing arrangements." Mr MacAskill was unavailable to comment. An Executive spokeswoman confirmed that the new ministers were against private prisons. She said: "The new government has set out its commitment to a publicly-owned and run prison service." Derek Turner, the assistant secretary of the Prison Officers' Association, said: "We welcome any attempt by the SNP government to bring private prisons into the public sector." Last night, Labour, which had backed private prisons when in government, refused to reiterate its support for the policy. Margaret Curran, Labour's justice spokeswoman, said only: "Any SNP plans to bring these services back under direct public control will be scrutinised in depth by Scottish Labour. "What will be vital is that they are delivering the best possible value for the public pound, without compromising standards of delivery."

May 24, 2002
The Scottish Executive's plans for three new privately-built, owned and operated prisons in Scotland seem in serious trouble. Jim Wallace, the justice minister who has to defend the proposals, had a bruising encounter before the Scottish Parliament Justice 1 committee yesterday. Other than Mr.Wallace and Tony Cameron, chief executive of the Scottish Prison service, no-one seemed to have a good word for extending private prisons employing their own guards on the scale envisaged (it would mean more than one-third of Scotland's prisoners in the private sector, one of the highest proportions in the world. Elaine Bailey, managing director of the company that owns Scotland's only private jail, at Kilmarnock, was this week publicly reprimanded by Christie Grahame, convener of the justice committee, for taking eight months to provide parliament with information about the contract. That is not good enough. Prison officers need a sense of vocation, something the public sector is best placed to promote. Schools and hospitals are built by the private sector but publicly run. There is no reason why prisoners should be nay different. (The Herald)

May 23, 2002
Justice Minister Jim Wallace has defended plans to build three new private prisons in Scotland. Appearing before the Scottish Parliament's Justice 1 committee on Thursday, Mr. Wallace said it was the best way to modernize the prison system. But one committee member queried the need for extra prisons, and said non-custodial sentences could ease the prison population. Following the Prison Estates Review, the Scottish Executive announced controversial plans to build three private prisons and close those at Low Moss and Peterhead. (BBC News)

April 20, 2002
Justice Minister Jim Wallace has delivered his keynote speech at the Liberal Democrat party's Scottish conference in Perth. Mr Wallace was pressured by delegates over contentious plans for three new private prisons in Scotland. Delegates at the conference overwhelmingly passed a motion that expressed concern over proposals to build and run jails for profit. One speaker described the proposals as "abhorrent". George Lyon MSP said the party's rank and file were unhappy with the private prisons' plan and should make their feelings known. He said: "No one in the party, from ministers down, are comfortable with the contents of the Prison Estates' Review. "It is up to everyone in the party to make their views known." (BBC News)

April 18, 2002
The Liberal Democrat leader has gone to the defense of Scotland's justice minister over plans for private prisons. Charles Kennedy said the proposals by the party's Scottish leader Jim Wallace were not the "preferred option" but the issues needed to be examined. Mr Kennedy conceded that he did not envy the "dilemma" Mr Wallace has been confronted by when there was no enthusiasm for private prisons within the party. Conference managers will consider a call for an emergency debate on the prisons issue. The motion expresses regret for the executive's proposals and calls for an alternative solution which would preserve the pay and conditions of prison staff. (BBC News)

April 16, 2002
Trades unionists have renewed their opposition to plans for three new private jails in Scotland. An emergency motion condemning profit-making from incarceration has been passed at the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) annual meeting in Perth. A high-profile campaign is now being planned against the Scottish Executive's strategy. A review of the Prisons Estate earlier this year by leading accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers said the private jails could save the executive some £700m. But this figure has been branded "fundamentally flawed" by a report from two Scottish academics. STUC delegates said the concept of private prisons was "morally repugnant" and was a clear attempt to drive down the terms and conditions of public sector workers. As well as the three new private jails, there are plans to close Peterhead jail and Low Moss prison, near Bishopbriggs in Dunbartonshire. Prison officers say the move would mean a third of prisoners in Scotland being housed by the private sector - a higher proportion than almost anywhere else in the world. Meanwhile, wives of prisoners at Peterhead are planning to march through the town in protest against plans to close the jail. There have been warnings of industrial action if the executive presses ahead with the policy. (BBC News)

April 15, 2002
Plans to open three new private prisons in Scotland have been strongly criticised in an independent report. Academics at Strathclyde and Stirling universities have described as "fundamentally flawed" the figures used to justify the decision to create the new jails. The costs were drawn up by the leading accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, which said the private option could save the Scottish Executive £700m. It based its figures on a projection that the prison population would rise by 1,000 over the next 10 years to 7,200. But the universities' report, compiled by Professor Christine Cooper and senior lecturer Phil Taylor, says the firm has "hugely inflated" the cost of new prisons being funded solely by the taxpayer. It argues that if prison populations fall - as ministers insist will be the case - the private option is likely to be very costly. "Making a profit from what society has deemed to be criminal behaviour requiring incarceration is seen as ethically wrong," it goes on. Officers also point to the sometimes troubled history of Kilmarnock, Scotland's only private jail in operation so far. (BBC News)

March 29, 2002
Justice Minister Jim Wallace announced his plans for the construction of three new private prisons in Scotland last week - with one expected to be built in Rutherglen. Despite leaked information from the Scottish Prison Service indicating that Farme Cross in Rutherglen is in the frame for a new-build private prison the Deputy First Minister refused to comment on or even admit Rutherglen was on the Scottish Executive's short list. (The Reformer)

January 13, 2002
The prisons watchdog has been sacked by the Scottish Executive after he published a string of damning reports identifying a growing culture of crisis within the country's penal system. Sources say Clive Fairweather - who last year branded conditions in Scotland's biggest jail as "vile" - was only told his £50,000 post would be advertised the day before it appeared in the national press. His sacking has sparked accusations that the Executive has removed him to make way for its controversial plan to further privatise the prison system. Fairwether, a former SAS colonel, has consistently railed against more private jails for Scotland, arguing that it would be too expensive and erode public sector morale. (Scotland on Sunday)

April 11, 2001
The Scottish Trade Union Congress was today expected to accuse Justice Minister Jim Wallace of encouraging "modern day slavery" by allowing the proliferation of private prisons in Scotland. A motion, in the name of the Prison Officers' Association (Scotland), condemns privately run jails as "morally repugnant". The motion, which has the support of the STUC leadership, reads: "This congress condemns any further proliferation of private prisons in Scotland. "In doing so, congress recognises that it is morally repugnant to lock someone up and remove their freedom for the sake of profit. "Congress further recognises that such a practice is the 21st century equivalent of modern-day slavery, where a person is sold to someone profit." (Evening News-Edinburgh)

Group 4
May 2, 2008 Edinburgh Evening News
TWO security guards who stole £10,000 of bank notes while on a collection run have been jailed for six months. Group 4 Security workers Gary Docherty, 41, and Hugh Drummond, 47, each helped themselves to a £5000 bundle of £20 notes when a bag burst in their van. Staff at the Royal Bank of Scotland in Edinburgh immediately realised there was something wrong when the pair delivered a case which should have contained £50,000 with only £40,000 in it. Police were called in after they found notes in Drummond's rucksack and the officers recovered the rest from Docherty. They previously pleaded guilty to stealing £10,000 on March 28 this year – Docherty's birthday – and were sentenced today. The pair had been collecting cash in plastic cases from branches of the bank when one of the cases burst at Bruntsfield Place. They continued with their run, arriving at the RBS cash collection centre in The Gyle, where the theft was discovered. Solicitor Andy Gilbertson said Docherty, of Clermiston Drive, had worked for the firm for 14 years before he carried out the "spontaneous" crime and had lost his job as a result. He said Docherty had been suffering stress. "It wasn't a matter of if this crime would be detected but a matter of when," Mr Gilbertson added, appealing for a community service order instead of custody. Solicitor Nigel Bruce said Drummond, of Victoria Road, Harthill, Lanarkshire, had spent seven years with the firm, before the "moment of madness".

Kilmarnock Prison (Bowhouse)
Premier (Owned by Serco, formerly run by Wackenhut)
June 8, 2008 Sunday Mail
BOSSES at Scotland's only private jail are being taken to court after a con lost his thumb in the jail's workshop. Barry O'Pray claims they are to blame for his finger being severed by a circular saw. Serco - who run Bowhouse jail near Kilmarnock - have been charged with failing to provide adequate training and supervision for inmates. It is the first time a jail has been taken to court by the Health and Safety Executive for putting prisoners at risk. If the criminal action is successful, it is likely O'Pray will sue the jail. Serco said: "We will be defending the charges vigorously." It is thought Serco will argue O'Pray deliberately injured himself to get compensation and took painkillers before his thumb was sliced off in January 2007. They will claim he was heard on the phone after the incident saying: "It's sorted out." O'Pray - who has a string of convictions for various offences, including dishonesty - was taken to hospital but surgeons could not save his thumb. The trial will take place at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court in September. Last night, O'Pray, who is in his 40s, could not be contacted for comment. A woman who now lives in his former council flat in Crosshouse, Kilmarnock, said: "The police are never away from the door looking for him. I had to write to them to say he no longer lives here." Bowhouse opened nine years ago and has been hit by a string of security and safety breaches. Remand prisoner David Martin, 20, was jailed in March for at least 24 years for killing another inmate in the jail's hospital wing last year. Prison wardens were slammed for not helping the victim while he was attacked. Last year, two senior officers were suspended - one for a relationship with a con and the other for allegedly taking bets on when an inmate with cancer would die. Two years ago, the prison was sued for £200,000 by former guard Ann Hinshelwood, who claimed she was so badly trained she locked inmates out of their cells by mistake. Seven men also committed suicide in the prison between 1999 and 2005. But an inspector recently praised Bowhouse for its accommodation and prisoners' treatment. The Government pay £130million over 25 years to have the prison run privately. It has been dubbed the Killie Hilton due to facilities such as a recording studio, gym, sports hall and football pitches. All cells have central heating and inmates are allowed their own DVD players and TVs.

April 27, 2008 Sunday Mail
A PRISONER was caught hiding a contraband mobile phone up his backside - when warders dialled the number. The cheeky inmate had no option but to surrender the handset when staff heard his ring tone. A jail insider said: "They had long suspected he had a phone but couldn't work out where he kept it. "They somehow got hold of the number and decided there was only one way of establishing if it was his. "When it rang he was bouncing off the walls and confessed." The incident at Kilmarnock jail last week comes amid revelations that Scotland's jails are flooded with illicit mobiles. Last year, 748 were found - up from 568 in 2006 and just 26 in 2002. Mobiles allow inmates to conduct crime unchecked from behind bars.

March 20, 2008 BBC
A man who murdered a fellow inmate in a "horrific" prison attack has been sentenced to at least 24 years in jail. David Martin was captured on CCTV in June 2007 as he kicked and stamped on Michael Cameron at Kilmarnock Prison. The judge said questions would be asked about why prison staff had failed to intervene, but Serco - which runs the private jail - defended its procedures. The sentence at the High Court in Edinburgh also covered Martin's killing of Gilbert Grierson in March 2006. Martin was sentenced to life after admitting murdering Mr Cameron and was told he would have to serve a minimum of 24 years before he could apply for parole. That sentence also encompasses his period of punishment for killing Mr Grierson. The 20-year-old had previously admitted culpable homicide by killing Mr Grierson, 46, with knives, scissors, a frying pan and a bottle and setting his home in Irvine on fire. His attack on Mr Cameron happened three months after Martin was remanded for killing Mr Grierson, who was his mother's former boyfriend. The incident, in Kilmarnock Prison's health wing, also saw Martin pour boiling water over his victim. Mr Cameron was on remand at the time, accused of rape. A prison officer witnessed the murder but did not intervene until re-enforcements arrived. Under prison protocol a total of three custody officers should restrain any one prisoner. Martin's lawyer, Bill McVicar, described his client as a damaged individual who had a life of breathtaking deprivation. But the judge, Lord Matthews, said Martin's background was not an excuse for his actions. "You are no stranger to violence and it will be difficult to forget the CCTV images showing what you did to Mr Cameron," he said. "I do not know what kind of warped morality made you think it was appropriate to act in that manner. "No doubt questions will be asked and I know they are already being asked about the fact that this happened in prison while staff were watching." 'Tragic occurrence' -- Serco spokesman Michael Clarke said: "There were four prisoners in the healthcare unit in a ward and there was one prison officer and one nurse in the immediate area when this horrific attack erupted. "He quite rightly called for re-enforcements before entering the ward to stop the incident and within a couple of minutes extra staff had arrived." Figures released last month by the Scottish Government showed a total of 225 prisoners had been assaulted at HMP Kilmarnock in the past seven years. Last year, 49 assaults took place - a record number.

February 22, 2008 BBC
The company running Scotland's only private jail will review the case of an inmate murdered by a fellow prisoner, but said there was no staff shortage. David Martin, 20, kicked and stamped on Michael Cameron and poured boiling water over his head, in an attack captured on CCTV. A prison officer and a nurse witnessed the attack, but the warder could not intervene until reinforcements arrived. Prison operator Serco told BBC Scotland that staff took the correct action. At the High Court in Glasgow on Thursday, Martin, on remand for murder at the time of the prison incident, admitted murdering Cameron. Another prisoner, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was involved on the attack on Cameron on 16 June, 2006. The victim was on remand at the time of the attack, which took place in a four-bed cell in Kilmarnock Prison's health care wing. Serco spokesman Michael Clarke told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme that Kilmarnock was a "safe" prison. "It is, however, holding some violent and unpredictable men," he said. Lessons learned -- "Although we do as much as we possibly can to minimise the chances of violence in the prison, given the nature of the people we are looking after there, we cannot guarantee that there will never be any violent incidents." Mr Clarke added: "You wouldn't have enough staff everywhere in the prison to deal with anything breaking out anywhere, because the prison is quiet at night and there was an unprovoked, unforeseeable attack in the health care unit. "Staff were called from other parts of the prison and arrived very quickly." The incident, he added, would be looked at again and assessment procedures on the supply of kettles to prisoners reviewed, to see if lessons could be learned.

February 21, 2008 BBC
A killer has admitted murdering a fellow inmate in a prison cell while on remand at HMP Kilmarnock. David Martin, 20, kicked and stamped on Michael Cameron and poured boiling water over his head, in an attack captured on CCTV. A prison officer and a nurse witnessed the attack. The warder could not intervene until reinforcements arrived. Martin was on remand for murder at the time but the Crown accepted his plea to a reduced charge of culpable homicide. Another prisoner, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was involved on the attack on Mr Cameron on 16 June, 2006 in a four-bed cell in HMP Kilmarnock's health wing. Mr Cameron was on remand at the time. Prison protocol -- Paul McBride QC said prison officer Craig Brennan wanted to stop the attack but was ordered by a superior not to enter the cell until reinforcements arrived. Mr Brennan's boss was concerned for the safety of his staff. Prison protocol dictates three custody officers should restrain any one prisoner. Mr McBride said after Martin had been restrained he attacked Mr Cameron again. He said the accident and emergency doctor who attended to Mr Cameron at Crosshouse Hospital had rarely seen injuries of such severity. HMP Kilmarnock is Scotland's only private prison. Serco, which runs the prison, said: "Our condolences go to Mr Cameron's family for their tragic loss. "We pay tribute to the bravery of our staff who showed real courage in restraining Martin and providing medical assistance to Mr Cameron." Figures released on Wednesday by the Scottish government showed a total of 225 prisoners had been assaulted at HMP Kilmarnock in the past seven years. Last year, 49 assaults took place - a record number.

January 6, 2008 Scotland on Sunday
SCOTLAND’S flagship private jail has emerged as the most violent in the country in a damning report by the chief inspector of prisons. Kilmarnock - which has been vaunted by the government as a blueprint for modern prisons - had the highest number of attacks on warders and the most fireraising incidents of any jail in Scotland. The report by Clive Fairweather - which has been seen by Scotland on Sunday - also reveals that Kilmarnock has the worst staff turnover in the prison service, and that a culture of fear exists among warders. Fairweather’s safety and crime prevention report reveals that in 12 months up to March 1 this year, 21 fires had been started at Kilmarnock and there were 29 assaults on staff - the highest for both categories in the prison service. It shows that prisoner discipline is the worst in any Scottish jail and that violence among inmates is rife. The report, says: "The prison was operating 13 staff under complement at the time of inspection, which was adding considerable pressure to an already difficult staffing situation." Fairweather added: "Custody officers claimed that staffing levels could at times be dangerously low, especially in ‘A’ wing and at weekends. They said that two members of staff had been assaulted over the past year, while there had also been a large number of less serious incidents. "We sensed generally that staff seemed to be even more concerned about safety than they had been a year ago (and being under complement could also have contributed to this). Examples were cited where it was impossible to arrange relief cover for toilet breaks, meaning that prisoners were left unsupervised, except by CCTV, during these periods." The findings of last month’s two-day inspection - the third since Kilmarnock opened in 1999 - are certain to embarrass ministers, who three weeks ago announced controversial plans to build a further three private jails in Scotland. Two anonymous letters, written by concerned staff at the jail and passed to Scotland on Sunday, will also add pressure on the Scottish Executive to scrap the strategy. Critics of the programme say privately operated prisons are most likely to try to save money by cutting back on staff, despite the risk that poses to warders and prisoners alike. Commercial confidentiality means the operators of private jails do not have to reveal their staffing levels. One prison officer claims in his letter that "the only reason that staff have not been seriously injured is because of the goodwill of the prisoners". It goes on: "When staff object or refuse to open wings [containing 60-80 prisoners] alone, they are pressurised by management. There are quite a lot of staff relatively new to the prison and they feel that their jobs are under threat if they do not comply. "I know for a fact that there is not enough staff to monitor all the cameras. There are two members of staff in this area to answer two telephones, operate electronic doors, communicate with radio users and deal with all alarms. It is not surprising that staff have no time to monitor wings or worksheds. "Staff feel that there have never been enough staff in the prison but this has become worse than ever and we feel that urgent action has to be taken." The other prison officer writes: "Staff shortages occur on a day-to-day basis throughout the prison. Staff regularly phone in sick due to stress. Everything the prisoners request they receive - televisions, DVDs, Game Boys, guitars, music centres, ghetto blasters. The phrase ‘inmates taking over the asylum’ comes to mind. It is about time an investigation into Kilmarnock was carried out." The revelations have angered opposition politicians and the prison officers’ union, who have branded Kilmarnock an "explosion waiting to happen". Derek Turner, assistant secretary of the Prison Officers Association Scotland, said: "A lot of things mentioned as being of concern in last year’s report have not been addressed. When you look at the number of custody officers it is no wonder that there are so many assaults against them." Michael Matheson, the SNP’s deputy justice spokesman, said: "What is extremely concerning is that the situation at Kilmarnock, which was bad last year in terms of assaults among prisoners and against staff, appears to have deteriorated further. "Given the extremely serious nature of a number of these findings, [the jail’s operators] Premier Prisons have got a lot of explaining to do. I want to have answers quickly as to what they propose to do to address the problem. It appears to be a prison that is going from bad to worse." A spokesman for Premier Prisons said: "Clive Fairweather’s report makes it clear that Kilmarnock continues to excel in many areas. There have been major reductions in staff turnover. People will use Kilmarnock as a stick to beat the Scottish Executive over the head with regards to privatisation. But they are adopting this policy so someone at the top must think that it is a good idea."

December 13, 2007 BBC
A prisoner has been found dead in his cell at Scotland's private prison, the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) has said. Stewart McBlain, 67, was remanded in custody on Monday and taken to HM Prison Kilmarnock while awaiting trial. Prison officers found him dead in his cell on Wednesday. It is understood he hanged himself. A spokesman for the SPS said: "Police and next of kin have now been informed and a fatal accident inquiry will be held in due course."

August 19, 2007 Sunday Mail
TWO senior prison officers have been suspended - one over her relationship with a con and another for allegedly taking bets on when an inmate with cancer would die. HMP Bowhouse in Kilmarnock - Scotland's only private prison - has been rocked by investigations into Wendy Hopkins and colleague Robert Crawford. Hopkins was suspended amid claims of an "inappropriate relationship" with prisoner David Goldie after she allegedly secured a job at the jail to be close to him. Crawford was sent home after being accused of running a book on when an alleged sex offender with cancer would die. Both officers deny the claims. Jail bosses told Hopkins, 28, to leave last Friday following an anonymous tip-off about her alleged closeness to Goldie before gathering their own "intelligence". Claims include she smuggled a mobile phone into his cell. But the probe will centre round a tip-off she applied for the job to be close to Goldie after he was sent there to serve a sentence for assault. An insider said: "They were said to have been in a relationship before he was banged up. "It's really bizarre - nobody has ever heard of anything like it before. "The gossip is that they were an item and when he got banged up she got herself a job here so they could be together. "There is CCTV everywhere in here so it isn't exactly the sort of thing that could be kept hidden. "She has been accused of smuggling stuff into him but bosses are staying really tight-lipped about it." At her home near Lesmahagow in Lanarkshire, the prison officer admitted she knew Goldie but denied they were in a relationship. She said: "I have been suspended but I don't even know why. "All they said was that they have received intelligence about me. Some people in the prison don't like me. I don't know what I'm supposed to have done. I am waiting for an interview. I'm gobsmacked by this." Last night a spokesman for Serco, the private firm which operates the prison, said: "As soon as this came to our attention we took action. "If there was an inappropriate relationship then that cannot be tolerated and now the disciplinary process must run its course." Goldie was transferred from Bowhouse to Greenock Prison the day before Hopkins was suspended. Insiders claim the move was linked to the probe but Hopkins said: "He was transferred because he was fighting." Prison chiefs are also investigating claims that Hopkins' colleague Crawford ran a sick sweepstake on when a terminally ill inmate would die. The prisoner is a cancer sufferer on remand as he waits to be charged with sex offences. Crawford faces disciplinary action. A prison insider said: "As in every prison, all suspected sex offenders are reviled but this bloke is on his way out and it is being taken very seriously. "Crawford was told to leave a week past Friday. He's a popular guy and everyone was shocked. But if he was caught doing this it has to go down as a bit of a stupid error. "This does the profession no good at all." At his home in a converted stable block near Kilmarnock, Crawford declined to comment. A spokesman for HM Prison Kilmarnock Bowhouse said: "An employee has been suspended pending a disciplinary investigation. It is very disappointing." The prison is dubbed the "Killie Hilton" because of soft conditions. Inmates have been given Setanta SPL football games for free and there are DVD players, TVs and videos in every cell. There are also personal trainers, gyms and officers bring inmates papers and milk in the morning.

October 30, 2006 BBC
An inmate at Scotland's only private prison has died. Jason Ritchie, 30, was found dead by prison staff in his cell at HMP Kilmarnock in East Ayrshire. He was convicted at Glasgow High Court on 8 November 2005 of assault to severe injury and permanent disfigurement. An investigation is under way. A spokesman for the Scottish Prison Service said: "Police and next of kin have been informed and a fatal accident inquiry will be held in due course."

September 22, 2006 Scotsman
The governor of Scotland's only private prison appeared in court yesterday to explain why an inmate was set free. An agent for Bowhouse jail's Wendy Sinclair said the Kilmarnock prison had not received the man's arrest warrant.

September 18, 2006 The Scotsman
A PRISON officer at Scotland's only private jail has resigned after failing a drugs test. The 32-year-old was tested after being suspected of taking the prescription tranquiliser Benzodiazepine at Kilmarnock prison. A spokesman for Serco, the jail's operator, said he resigned before action was taken against him.

June 30, 2006 The Scotsman
TWO teenage prisoners have been sent for trial charged with murdering an inmate at Scotland's only private jail. David Martin, 19, and Andrew Kiltie, 18, are accused of punching, kicking and stamping Michael Cameron, 21, to death at Kilmarnock prison on 16 June.

June 18, 2006 BBC
A 21-year-old prisoner has died following a disturbance at the privately-run Kilmarnock prison. Michael Cameron from North Ayrshire was taken to Crosshouse Hospital with serious injuries at about 2330 BST on Friday but died on Saturday morning. Two other prisoners, aged 18 and 19, have been arrested in connection with the death and are due to appear at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court on Monday. A report will be sent to the procurator fiscal's office.

June 18, 2006 Sunday Mail
A MURDER investigation was launched yesterday after a prisoner was beaten to death in Kilmarnock jail. The 21-year-old victim, a remand prisoner, was attacked in the hospital wing of the maximum security private prison late on Friday night. He was taken to Crosshouse Hospital, Kilmarnock, where he later died from multiple injuries. Two teenage prisoners were arrested yesterday and charged with his murder. Both are expected to appear at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court tomorrow on the murder charge. A police spokeswoman confirmed last night: "A 21-year-old man has died following an incident within HM Prison Kilmarnock. The prisoner sustained serious injuries following a disturbance at around 11.20pm on Friday. "A report has been sent to the Procurator Fiscal. "Two men aged 18 and 19 have been arrested and are presently detained in custody in connection with the death." Police said that the dead man would not be identified until relatives had been informed.

September 14, 2005 The Herald
RELIANCE, the private security firm criticised over a series of prisoner escapes, has lost the multi-million pound contract for tagging offenders in Scotland. The initial £14m deal was awarded to Reliance Monitoring in January 2002 before being extended for a further 12 months, worth £8m, earlier this year. However, Serco, the com-pany which runs Scotland's only private prison, has now been awarded preferred bidder status for the tender to operate electronic monitoring on teenage and adult offenders from next April until 2011. The Scottish Executive is expected to make an official announcement next month. Critics believe the monitoring firm lost favour after its sister company, Reliance Custodial Services, took over prisoner escort responsibilities in April 2004. Just days into the seven-year £126m contract's roll-out, the firm allowed a number of prisoners to escape, including James McCormick, a convicted killer who was aged 17. The decision to award the contract to Serco is also expected to prove controversial. Serco owns Premier Custodial Services, the firm which runs Kilmarnock prison, and was rebuked earlier this year following claims of staff shortages and negligence. A BBC reporter found evidence that warders failed to carry out suicide checks, despite six suicides at the jail in a five-year period. The programme also claimed that officers failed to report offences, including heroin use, which would attract a fine, to protect the income of the jail's operator. The screening of Prison Undercover: The Real Story led to three staff being removed from their duties and an internal investigation by Premier. A fatal accident inquiry earlier this year into the suicide of an inmate at the prison in 2002 was highly critical of failures to monitor him. Premier said a number of improvements had already been introduced.

August 11, 2005 BBC
Nationalist MSP Alex Neil has called on the Scottish Executive to come clean over the cost of running Scotland's only privately operated prison. The executive has always refused to give information about the cost of Kilmarnock Prison, saying that it was commercially confidential. The Scottish National Party MSP's own research suggested it costs £17,602 per prisoner per year at Kilmarnock. But that cost did not include mortgage costs for the prison building, he said. Mr Neil said: "I am writing to the auditor general for Scotland to ask him to carry out a truly independent inquiry into the costs of Kilmarnock Prison and to compare these on a like-for-like basis with the costs of running our publicly-run prisons in Scotland. He added: "Furthermore the secrecy surrounding the contract to run Kilmarnock Prison needs to be ended. "This is public money which is being wasted on a private prison, which as well as being costly to run has one of the worst performing records of any prison in Scotland."

August 6, 2005 Daily Record
A PRISON officer who claimed he was forced out of his job by smokers has lost his unfair dismissal case. Barry Cochrane said he had to resign after Kilmarnock Prison bosses failed to stop staff and inmates smoking in designated fume-free areas. The 34-year-old said prisoners and officers regularly ignored the no-smoking policy - and chiefs at the private jail turned a blind eye. The tribunal heard 97 per cent of the prison population smoke but are only allowed to light up in certain areas Cochrane, from Irvine, Ayrshire, said when he caught a prisoner smoking in the library with a woman warden, she told him: 'There are worse things a prisoner could do than smoking a cigarette.' Premier Prisons said they planned to put in an extractor system and ensure the no-smoking policy was more strictly enforced but Cochrane left before the grievance procedure ended.

July 21, 2005 Daily Record
A PRISON officer claims he was forced to quit his job because he was constantly subjected to passive smoking. Barry Cochrane, 34, said bosses at Kilmarnock Prison failed to enforce their smoking policy, leaving him exposed to tobacco fumes.
He claimed his health suffered and he had no option but to walk out. Mr Cochrane is now suing Scotland's only private prison, claiming constructive and unfair dismissal. A tribunal in Glasgow yesterday heard that 97 per cent of inmates smoked, but it was only allowed in certain parts of the Ayrshire jail. Mr Cochrane, from Irvine, claimed prisoners often lit up elsewhere, with staff turning a blind eye. He also said other officers defied the rules. Mr Cochrane added: 'I got headaches, sore eyes, stress due to grief from prisoners.

May 21, 2005 BBC
A prison guard suspended over allegations that he disguised himself as an inmate to try to get methadone has resigned. The 22-year-old was working at Kilmarnock Prison in Ayrshire, Scotland's only private jail. He is alleged to have gone with a group of prisoners who were due to receive the heroin substitute. Jail operators Premier Custodial Services said inquiries into the incident would continue. It is understood the officer was stopped by a nurse before he reached the head of the queue and claimed his actions had been intended as a joke. He was immediately suspended from duty. Kilmarnock Prison was embroiled in controversy earlier this year when three members of staff were removed from normal duties after an undercover BBC investigation claimed that staff ignored heroin abuse and failed to monitor vulnerable inmates.

May 20, 2005 BBC
A guard has been suspended after claims that he disguised himself as a prisoner and joined a queue for methadone at Scotland's private prison. He is alleged to have gone with a group of prisoners who were due to receive the heroin substitute at Kilmarnock Prison in Ayrshire. The 22-year-old was stopped before he reached the head of the queue. He claimed his actions had been intended as a joke but was immediately suspended from duty. A spokesman for the operators, Premier Custodial Services, confirmed that a member of staff had been suspended following "allegations of a breach of disciplinary procedure". Kilmarnock Prison was embroiled in controversy earlier this year when three members of staff were removed from normal duties after claims of malpractice in an undercover BBC investigation. Prison chiefs launched an inquiry into allegations that staff ignored heroin abuse and failed to monitor vulnerable inmates despite six suicides at the jail in the past five years.

May 1, 2005 Sunday Mail
A PRISONER has won £1500 compensation from jail bosses - for slicing his thumb in a prison workshop. Now Andrew Halliday, 48, is suing them again - for letting him fall out of his bunk bed. Halliday, 48, who is blind in one eye, is complaining that they made him sleep in a top bunk. Controversial £130million Kilmarnock Prison came under fire after a BBC documentary led to three staff being removed from duty. The report said prison officers missed suicide checks on vulnerable inmates. Seven men have killed themselves at the prison since 1999.

April 26, 2005 Evening Times
CHILDREN are regularly held in Scotland's only private jail, a report revealed today. Last year five youngsters aged 15 spent up to a week in Kilmarnock Prison, although not at the same time. Andrew McLellan, Chief Inspector of Prisons, who published the report, said there were good reasons to believe children should not be kept in adult jails. He added: "Whenever I find children under 16 in a prison I condemn it. "There is no reason to believe they are not treated properly, but there are very good reasons to believe children should not be in prison. Prison is no place for a child." Last year Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson commissioned research to investigate the problem and the Executive has vowed to increase the number of secure unit places by 40. The report also found that Kilmarnock, which is run by Premier Prisons and has had a controversial history since it opened in 1999, had lower staffing levels and a higher turnover of officers than Scottish Prison Service jails. It also noted educational opportunities were "impoverished" and criticised the standard of food. The lack of proper provision for basic education for adult inmates was very serious, said Mr McLellan and, despite a budget considerably greater than that in SPS prisons, the food was not good. Staffing at the jail was "considerably less than at other large jails". The report said: "Kilmarnock has a total number of staff which is 80 to 120 less than the total number of staff at Edinburgh or Perth prisons, which are frequently compared to Kilmarnock in terms of size and function."

April 26, 2005 BBC
Management at Kilmarnock Prison should take "urgent steps" to provide better numeracy and literacy courses for inmates, a report has said. The chief inspector of prisons, Dr Andrew McLellan, also said that staffing at Scotland's only private jail remained a matter of concern. Last month three members of staff at the Ayrshire prison, which is run by Premier Custodial Services, were removed from normal duties after claims of malpractice in an undercover BBC investigation. Prison chiefs launched an inquiry into allegations that staff turned a blind eye to heroin abuse and failed to monitor vulnerable inmates despite six suicides at the jail in the past five years. Premier Prison Services also hit the headlines recently after it was blamed at a fatal accident inquiry for the suicide of a vulnerable prisoner in the jail. Dr McLellan also expressed concern about the "high proportion" of inexperienced employees. On the issue of educating offenders, Dr McLellan said: "The provision of learning is impoverished - the lack of proper provision for basic education in reading, writing and counting is very serious." The current failure to deliver basic skills of numeracy and literacy during the day should be addressed as a "matter of urgency". The BBC documentary filmed officers turning a blind eye to drugs and alcohol use. It also found some prisoners on suicide watch were not checked regularly. The Prison Officers Association Scotland, which is not recognised at Kilmarnock, said the BBC's Real Story documentary "appeared to uncover significant failings" at the jail. Last month a sheriff ruled that James Barclay, 30, was able to hang himself at Kilmarnock Prison because of the failure of guards to keep watch on the "at risk" inmate. The remand prisoner died on 11 January, 2002, at Crosshouse Hospital, Kilmarnock, after he was found hanging in his cell the previous day.

April 24, 2005 Sunday Herald
CALLS for Scotland’s chief inspector of prisons to resign have been made ahead of the long-awaited publication of a report into Kilmarnock jail. Senior prison sources have told the Sunday Herald that the inspection report by Dr Andrew McLellan will “largely praise” HMP Bowhouse, the country’s only private prison, despite allegations that staff have been falsifying documents to show that suicide watches had been carried out when they had not. The allegations were raised in an undercover BBC documentary last month that led to three staff being removed from duty and prompted an investigation by the jail’s operator, Premier Custodial Services. In addition to the claims that warders failed to carry out suicide checks, despite six suicides at the jail in five years, the programme alleged that staff refused to report offences which would attract a fine for Premier. McLellan, a former moderator of the Church of Scotland, inspected the prison in October last year, the week before the BBC began filming . But despite growing pressure on him to re-inspect the prison and investigate the allegations, McLellan refused to do so. Alex Neil, the nationalist MSP for Central Scotland, who called for a police investigation after the BBC programme was screened, condemned McLellan’s refusal to go back into the jail and the decision to release the report inside Kilmarnock prison. He said: “The chief inspector of prisons is in danger of becoming a cheerleader for Premier, rather than an independent entity. “If this report is glowing, it will give evidence of a co- ordinated conspiracy to hide the facts about Kilmarnock prison. McLellan has already shown that he is not up to the job. He sat on this report for weeks and should resign.”

March 24, 2005 Scotsman
A CONVICTED murderer claimed to a court yesterday that the carrying of knives by inmates of Scotland’s only private jail was "commonplace". James O’Rourke, 34, made the allegation as he was jailed for eight years for stabbing a senior manager at Kilmarnock Prison and, in a separate incident, wounding a Reliance security guard in a court. Gary Allan, O’Rourke’s counsel, told the judge, Lady Paton, that severe criticisms had been levelled recently at Kilmarnock Prison’s management, adding: "The instructions I have is that the place is a shambles and that the carrying of knives among prisoners is commonplace." The High Court in Edinburgh heard yesterday that in June last year, when O’Rourke was being held in Kilmarnock Prison, he assaulted Michael Guy, the assistant prison director, and stabbed him with a piece of metal. It was said that O’Rourke had blamed Mr Guy for the withdrawal of privileges and for being kept in solitary confinement. The attack on Allan Dickson, a Reliance officer, took place on 23 November in Parliament House, Edinburgh, where the Court of Criminal Appeal was hearing an appeal by O’Rourke against his murder conviction. It was ultimately rejected. Judge Paton said she took into account that O’Rourke had pleaded guilty to the two assaults, but added: "Officers carrying out duties in connection with the administration of justice are entitled to the protection of the courts." On Tuesday, the management of Kilmarnock Prison was criticised by a sheriff at an inquiry into the death of an inmate who hanged himself in his cell. Earlier this month, a BBC documentary alleged that staff at the prison ignored drug abuse and failed to monitor vulnerable inmates.

March 23, 2005 Daily Record
A SHERIFF yesterday slammed Scotland's only private prison after an inmate hanged himself while on suicide watch. James Barclay, 30, was found dying in his cell at Kilmarnock Prison in January 2002. Kilmarnock sheriff Colin McKay's fatal accident inquiry report blamed the death on the officers who were on duty - and owners Premier Prison Services. He said rules for prisoners on suicide watch were 'routinely ignored' and 'there were no systems in place to alert senior management to these failures'. Sheriff McKay added: 'When the failures were patent, management ignored them. 'The prison guards simply failed to comply with a specific requirement of their shift.' The two guards blamed, Kevin Beck and Gordon Kelso, have since been sacked. Last night, SNP MSP Alex Neil said: 'The Scottish Prison Service should immediately bring the jail under direct control.'

March 20, 2005 Sunday Herald
THE crisis surrounding Kilmarnock Prison deepened last night after demands were made for a police investigation into the running of Scotland’s only private jail. Nationalist MSP Alex Neil, a fierce critic of the prison since it opened in 1999, called for the chief constable of Strathclyde police, Willie Rae, to order an investigation into allegations raised earlier this month in an undercover BBC documentary. The allegations included drug trafficking, drug abuse and the falsifying of information relating to suicide watches. Neil has written to Rae demanding to know what action will be taken “with a view to bringing the perpetrators of any crime within Kilmarnock Prison to justice”. He is also to submit a parliamentary question this week to Lord Advocate Colin Boyd, Scotland’s senior law officer, to request his assistance in launching a criminal investigation into claims that prison staff tampered with jail records showing they had been carrying out suicide watches when they had not. Neil, SNP MSP for Central Scotland, said: “Falsifying records on suicide watch is a criminal offence. I want the police to investigate that and bring those responsible of wrongdoing to justice. Whoever authorised the falsifying of records has committed a criminal offence in my view.” A BBC reporter found evidence that warders failed to carry out suicide checks , despite six suicides at the jail in five years. The programme also claimed that officers failed to report offences – including heroin use – which would attract a fine, to protect the income of the jail’s operator, Premier Custodial Services.

March 16, 2005 Scotsman
CALLS for the immediate suspension of a private firm’s contract to run Kilmarnock prison were rejected by Cathy Jamieson, the justice minister, yesterday. Three members of staff have been removed from normal duties after allegations of malpractice in an undercover BBC report. Prison chiefs have launched an inquiry into claims that staff at Scotland’s only private jail turned a blind eye to heroin abuse and failed to monitor vulnerable inmates - despite six suicides there in the past five years. Alex Neil, an SNP MSP for Central Scotland, called for the immediate suspension of Premier Custodial Services’ contract to run the jail. "The BBC documentary totally vindicates all the allegations I have been making for six years that the management of this prison is disastrous," he said. Kenny MacAskill, the SNP’s justice spokesman, said the documentary dealt a serious blow to Executive plans for at least one more private prison. "They should bring all of our prison service back into public control," he said. The BBC journalist Steve Allen, who worked as a prison officer at the jail, said he filmed evidence of officers falsifying paperwork to show suicide watches had been undertaken when they had not. Last night Phil Edwards, the chief operating officer for Premier Custodial Group, admitted the footage was "disturbing" and showed "unacceptable behaviour" by prison guards. But speaking on BBC Scotland’s Newsnight Scotland he insisted the company encourages all prison guards to report drug use.

March 14, 2005 Scotsman
LOTHIANS MSP Fiona Hyslop today called for plans to create a privately built and run prison in West Lothian to be scrapped following the shocking revelations of a TV documentary. Ms Hyslop said the Scottish Executive should abandon proposals for the controversial prison near Addiewell after a BBC programme last week highlighted a series of failures at a private Ayrshire facility. The 700-cell prison in the Lothians is expected to be completed by 2007 at a cost of £65 million. An undercover reporter for Real Story filmed officers at Kilmarnock allegedly turning a blind eye to the use of drugs and alcohol. The programme also claimed that warders failed to carry out suicide checks and cell searches - despite six suicides in the past five years. Scottish Prison Service spokesman Tom Fox voiced "real concerns" about the allegations, while the Prison Officers’ Association said it had been making similar accusations since Scotland’s only privately-run jail opened. Ms Hyslop said: "Private prisons fail the public, fail the officers and fail the prisoners who are at risk of self harm. "I hope the Executive takes on board the revelations and takes steps to rule out the private sector managing at the prison in Addiewell."

March 13, 2005 Scotsman
THE former chief inspector of prisons has launched a blistering attack on ministers, accusing them of failing to take action to prevent suicides in Scotland’s only private jail. Clive Fairweather said he was "shocked" the Scottish Executive had not ordered inspectors into Kilmarnock Prison after a BBC documentary alleged that staff failed to carry out suicide watches. Two years ago, as a direct result of a television programme which revealed young offenders taking drugs on the controversial Airborne Initiative, the Executive sent a social work inspection team into the boot camp immediately. A year later it closed Airborne down. Premier Custodial Group, which runs Kilmarnock Prison, has launched an internal investigation but Fairweather said that was insufficient. Fairweather, who lost his job as HM Chief Inspector of Prisons in Scotland after criticising the country’s jails, said: " If a documentary like this indicates that suicide watches are being falsified, there must surely be immediate action by the authorities, or do ministers not feel that there’s any urgency because it’s only prisoners’ lives?" Fairweather singled out justice minister Cathy Jamieson and her deputy, Hugh Henry, for criticism. An Executive spokeswoman said the current prisons inspector, Dr Andrew McLellan, carried out an inspection at Kilmarnock just days before the BBC investigation began. She added: "He takes the allegations seriously but he thinks the right thing to do is complete and publish his report in the spring."

March 10, 2005 IRR News
Campaign groups calling for a public inquiry into the treatment of immigration detainees have revealed that thirty-five cases of alleged assault have been referred to solicitors. The National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns (NCADC), the Campaign Against Racism and Fascism (CARF), and the Campaign To Stop Arbitrary Detentions at Yarl's Wood (SADY) have revealed details of over thirty-five cases referred to four solicitors' firms (Birnberg Peirce & Co, Hickman & Rose, Christian Khan, Harrison Bundey). Most of the cases involve allegations of abuse at the airport or in transit to the airport. In at least six of the thirty-five cases, the detainee was eventually removed. Two female victims of these 'successful' removals say they needed hospital treatment in their country of origin, as a result of injuries sustained in the deportation process. At a press conference held outside the Home Office on the day after the BBC broadcast Asylum Undercover (a disturbing television programme showing detention custody officers abusing detainees and boasting about assaults) NCADC, CARF and SADY called for a full public inquiry into the conditions of immigration detention in the UK. The Asylum Undercover investigation centred on Oakington Reception Centre and 'in-country escorting' of detainees, exposing the abuse of asylum seekers behind the closed doors of the immigration 'detention estate'. In one of the most shocking parts of the programme, a custody officer described 'taping up' the skirt of an obviously scared female asylum seeker who was defecating through fear during her deportation. (The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that refusal to allow a detainee who has soiled herself to change her clothes is inhuman and degrading treatment) Global Solutions Ltd (GSL), formerly Group 4, which runs Oakington Reception Centre, commented in a press release after the programme that there was 'shock and dismay throughout our company at the scenes of racist and abusive language and behaviour by some staff at Oakington detention centre and in-country escorting'. The company said it was now carrying out a full investigation with the assistance of a team of former senior police officers. It was also conducting a review of management and supervisory systems, recruitment, vetting, training and monitoring. 'If there are systemic or individual failings, they will be addressed,' it stated. 'Furthermore, if these investigations reveal that any offence has been committed by any of our staff, the police will be notified.' GSL and Group 4 have come under the spot-light before. In 1998, during the trial of nine men following a disturbance, detention officers at Campsfield (then run by Group 4) were found to have lied and destroyed property at the centre and then blamed detainees. Group 4 also ran Yarl's Wood Removal Centre, Bedford, which, in February 2002, was burnt down during a disturbance triggered by the restraint of a Nigerian female detainee. And, in December 2003, Yarl's Wood was the subject of a Daily Mirror report which exposed racism and abuse at the centre. In the subsequent inquiry into the Daily Mirror allegations, Prisons Ombudsman Stephen Shaw said 'these were startling and hugely worrying allegations. If true, they would have called into question not just the management of Yarl's Wood ... but the fitness of the contractor (GSL) to run any removal centre ... in this country'. He found that most of the things alleged in the article had happened, but decided that there was 'not a culture of abuse, racism and violence'. However he did recommend that the Home Office investigate the allegations about mistreatment of detainees. Emma Ginn, of NCADC, told IRR News: 'Stephen Shaw is now conducting a third inquiry into a GSL run removal/reception centre. When will the government learn? GSL appears to have retained its contracts to run Yarl's Wood, Tinsley House, Campsfield House, and Oakington. It was awarded a huge contract, of undisclosed value, to design, build and manage a 750-bed Accommodation Centre at Bicester, just thirty days after publication of the inquiry into the Mirror allegations. GSL was also a partner in the design and build of Yarl's Wood, which was described in the Prison Ombudsman inquiry into the fire, as "astonishingly flimsy" and "not fit for the purpose". This does not fill us with great confidence.'

March 10, 2005 The Herald
MINISTERS were urged last night to ban the private sector from staffing Scottish prisons after a BBC documentary claimed that the Premier group's running of Kilmarnock jail amounted to a catalogue of neglect. Premier, which has managed Scotland's only private prison to date since 1999, confirmed yesterday that it also wanted to build and run a new 700-cell jail at Low Moss, near Kirkintilloch. However, after secret filming at Kilmarnock suggested over-stretched staff were ignoring heroin use and failing to carry out suicide watches, the SNP said Premier's 25-year deal there should be terminated and future work kept in the public sector. Kenny MacAskill, SNP justice spokesman, said: "Rather than follow a failed Tory policy, the Scottish Executive should bring all of our prison service back into public control now. Public safety is too important an issue to be at the whim of private profit." Premier's per capita spending on prisoners is less than half that of the public sector, mainly because of the heavy use of electronic security. The row renewed the pressure on Cathy Jamieson, justice minister, who was under attack for much of last year over Reliance's botched start to the privatised prisoner escort service. According to the documentary, Prison Undercover – the Real Story, staff at Kilmarnock were put in charge of large numbers of violent prisoners with little training or back-up. They were also said to have ignored offences which meant fines for Premier and could have jeopardised pay rises; turned a blind eye to drug abuse to curry favour with inmates; and failed to conduct suicide watches, despite six suicides in five years. The prison's director also failed to ask for details when told that staff had falsified suicide watch logs.

March 9, 2005 Scotsman
THREE prison officers have been suspended from normal duties at Scotland’s only private prison amid allegations that staff failed to carry out suicide watches despite seven deaths in the last six years , it emerged last night. A BBC investigation, Prison Undercover: The Real Story, into Kilmarnock prison also claimed officers turned a blind eye to drug taking, and allowed prisoners wide screen satellite televisions and Playstations in their cells. The programme to be aired tonight shows staff allegedly falsifying suicide watch forms in the prison when checks have been missed. The staff claim checks are skipped because of staffing shortages. Relatives of those who died were said to be "horrified" at the evidence. Myra Mulholland, the sister of one inmate who has died there in the last six years, told the BBC: "It is not just a record you are falsifying, it is people’s lives you are playing with, people who could die as a result of this." Since opening six years ago seven prisoners have killed themselves. Two Premier officers were sacked in 2002 after checks were missed and a prisoner found hanged. Premier Custodial Group, the company running the prison, was unavailable for comment last night. In a statement issued to the BBC, the firm said Kilmarnock was a "well run and safe" prison where staff and prisoner relations were good. "Premier treats any alleged breach of procedure very seriously," the statement said.

March 5, 2005 Sunday Mail
A BBC reporter posing as a prison officer ended up battling convicts in a jail riot. Using the name Steve Allen and false references he landed a job at Scotland's only private prison at Kilmarnock. The reporter from BBC's Real Story worked at the jail for three months and gathered hundreds of hours of film from secret cameras. Prison officers are allegedly heard making brutal comments about prisoners who have killed themselves and those on suicide watch. The prison has been repeatedly rapped at recent fatal accident inquiries into suicides. In the film, warders are allegedly heard encouraging violence and falsifying logs. The one-hour documentary, to be shown on BBC1 at 9pm on Wednesday, is expected to reveal huge security breaches and poor conditions for staff and inmates. A BBC spokeswoman said: 'We can confirm that our reporter was involved in a riot and he fulfilled his duties as a prison officer.' SNP shadow justice minister Kenny McAskill demanded a full public inquiry into the £130million privatised prison run by Premier Security. And Derek Turner, of the Scottish Prison Officers Association, said: 'A public inquiry into this place is long overdue.' Premier said: 'We have commenced an investigation based on some of allegations already raised by the BBC.'

January 14, 2005 Ayrshire.co.uk
A 40-year-old man has been reported to the procurator fiscal in connection with an alleged indecent assault on a teenager inside Kilmarnock Prison. It’s understood that the 17-year-old ‘victim’, who has learning difficulties, was allegedly attacked in the private prison’s medical wing.

January 9, 2005 Sunday Mail
CLAIMS that a teenager with learning difficulties was raped in Scotland's private prison are being investigated. The 17-year-old was allegedly grabbed, gagged and attacked in the medical wing of Kilmarnock Prison last month. A police spokeswoman said: 'A 40-year-old man is the subject of a report to the procurator fiscal in connection with an alleged indecent assault on a 17-year-old at Kilmarnock Prison.' Insiders say prisoner rape is rife among drug dealers in the jail, where murderers, rapists and paedophiles have CD players and colour TVs in their cells. There have been other attacks at the jail. Two warders were charged last month for sexually assaulting a female member of staff. Last year two managers were sacked - one for sexual harassment of a female member of staff, the other for theft. And a female tutor was sacked for allegedly having an 'inappropriate relationship' with a prisoner.

December 12, 2004 Sunday Mail
TWO warders at Scotland's only private prison have been suspended after being accused of sex offences against a female colleague. Stephen Blake, 35, and Jim Hume, 43, who were in charge of the jail workshop, were escorted from Kilmarnock Prison. It is alleged that the pair were involved in an incident on November 24 at the controversial £130million PFI prison run by Premier Security Services. It is understood a distressed female staff member made a complaint and called police. It is the latest controversy at the jail, where cons get a number of controversial 'perks'. There have also been a number of dismissals.

December 10, 2004 Evening Times
PRISON chiefs were today probing a riot at Scotland's only private jail last night when up to 40 inmates went on the rampage. Several small fires were lit, a communal room was destroyed and attempts were made to flood the prison in Kilmarnock during the incident. Thousands of pounds of damage is thought to have been caused after electrical equipment, including televisions, were smashed. Rebel prisoners only failed to flood the jail after frantic staff switched off water supplies. The riot happened when prisoners refused to return to their cells in E wing, which houses short-term inmates who are serving less than four years for repeat offences such as theft and minor assaults. The riot happened six months after five prisoners appeared in court charged with causing a major disturbance during which an officer was injured.

November 28, 2004 Sunday Mail
A PROBE is underway at Scotland's only private prison after two staff were suspended. Two Kilmarnock jail workshop employees are being investigated by police and prison chiefs following an incident of 'inappropriate behaviour'. A spokesman for Premier Prison Services confirmed two staff were suspended on Friday afternoon following a 'one-off incident' but denied claims it was drugs-related.

November 19, 2004 IC Ayshire
A SHERIFF has condemned Scotland's only private jail for breaches of rules and staff shortages after the suicide of a vulnerable prisoner. Sheriff Thomas Croan said it was the “good fortune” of an assistant director at Kilmarnock Prison that she has escaped personal responsibility for Gordon Mulholland's death. He also criticised the failure to keep Mr Mulholland’s personal records with him, which would have alerted staff that he was on suicide watch. He had already vowed to kill himself, saying it “only took a couple of minutes”. Ironically, the only individual to be praised by Sheriff Croan was a prisoner who cut down his fellow inmate’s hanging body and tried to revive him, as the warder who falsely claimed to have checked on him stood by in hysterics. Erica Prueffer, who was then assistant director of health care at Kilmarnock Prison, sent him to the prison wing instead of returning him to the health centre where he had been kept under observation, despite rules stating a case conference should have been held first. Prison officer Donna McNeill admitted falsifying a log by claiming she made a half-hourly check on Mr Mulholland at around the time he hanged himself after being left alone for about an hour. Ms McNeil, who underwent refresher training two weeks before the death, was in hysterics and made no attempt to revive Mr Mulholland. She was eventually asked to leave while others, including prisoner Brian Rees, took over.

October 4, 2004 Daily Record
VITAL security doors at Scotland's only private prison don't shut properly, the Record can reveal. Sliding doors used to seal wings at Kilmarnock jail have had to be filed down after wardens had trouble locking them. Bosses have called in engineers to fix the problem, but work won't start until next year. A jail insider said yesterday: 'To think we can't lock security doors properly is ridiculous. We've got some of the worst criminals in Scotland here.' The source blamed subsidence at the £130million prison for making some wing doors jam instead of closing fully. Stevenson claimed: 'This is a botched job from when the prison was built - as with so many PFI-funded projects.' The American company who run the jail, Premier Prison Services, have hired structural engineers to find away to repair the damage and prevent more problems. Two years ago, it emerged that the prison had received£700,000 in subsidies from the taxpayer while Premier Prison Services were making huge profits. Kilmarnock also has the worst discipline record of all Scots jails. There were 3634 recorded offences and serious rule infringements at the prison in 2001.The next worst jail, Perth, had 1475.

October 3, 2004 Sunday Mail
A GREEDY prison warder has been forced to quit after being caught nicking dozens of chocolate bars from the cons' subsidised tuck shop. Chocoholic Colin Duff, 55, was rumbled after being captured on CCTV cameras installed after bosses launched a probe into missing treats such as Mars Bars. Shamed Duff resigned after being called in by bosses at troubled Kilmarnock Prison. An insider at the jail - dubbed the Killie Hilton because of the cushy lifestyle led by prisoners - said: 'We knew the prison was full of thieves but we thought they were behind bars.' Last night, at his home in Crosshouse, Ayrshire, Duff said: 'I don't want to talk about it. I have nothing to say.' Two weeks ago, the Sunday Mail revealed two warders were under investigation over prisoners' jewellery that had gone missing. A probe is under way over an alleged £20,000 theft of prisoners' effects.

September 24, 2004 IC Ayrshire
AN INMATE at Kilmarnock Prison told Bowhouse staff he knew that he was going to die, an inquiry heard last week. Stuart Williams, 44, was already under medical supervision when he was found unconscious in his cell just three days into a five month sentence. He was taken by ambulance to Crosshouse Hospital where doctors were unable to save him. He died from fluid in the lungs and toxic effects of the drug dihydrocodeine, although it emerged he already had a heart condition.

September 18, 2004 Sunday Mail
SCOTLAND'S only private jail is fined £17,000 every time a prisoner is violent or is caught with drugs. The discovery of a mobile phone attracts an £8000 fine. But critics fear the penalties imposed on Premier Security Services, who manage Kilmarnock Jail, may stop them exposing rule-breaking. Last week, the Sunday Mail revealed the prison has been dubbed the 'Killie Hilton' as prisoners get pay-per-view Setanta TV and newspapers and milk is delivered to cells. West of Scotland MSP Bruce McFee warned: 'The operators may be discouraged from being zealous over drugs and weapons because of restrictions in their contract.' Premier, who make £1million a year from the jail, said: 'We have a requirement to report a multitude of activities and are diligent in ensuring this is done.'

September 12, 2004 Sunday Mail
Inmates at Scotland's only private prison have been given free Setanta TV. Ordinary punters who want to watch live Scottish Premier League football on the satellite channel pay £450 a year. But at cushy Kilmarnock Prison - dubbed the Killie Hilton - inmates can watch for free in one of eight viewing suites. The deal was thrashed out at a meeting of the Prisoner Information and Activities Committee between managers and inmates. Cons were told they could get free milk and a free paper delivered to their cells by warders each morning. A senior officer told the Sunday Mail: 'If people knew what goes on in here they would be queuing up to get in. What goes on in here really is an insult to law-abiding Scots. We're supposed to quietly place the milk and papers at the sink areas for when they get up for their breakfast and we're not allowed to wake them up.' The prison pays around £1000 a month for Setanta. The senior officer said: 'It's sickening to think hardened criminals are treated better than war heroes and pensioners who can't even afford to properly heat their homes, never mind subscribe to Setanta. 'There aren't many warders who can afford Setanta in their own homes either.' Managers from Premier Prison Services, who run the jail, hold meetings with inmates about conditions every week. Critics believe Premier have given too many rights to prisoners because they want to avoid the huge Government fines imposed on them if there are riots. According to insiders, an internal investigation is underway over the alleged disappearance of £30,000 worth of prisoners' jewellery and personal effects following the sacking of two warders.

August 11, 2004
KILMARNOCK'S private prison - the only one in Scotland - has had a troubled and violent history since it opened in 1999. In the last two years alone there has been a constant stream of reports of turmoil at the jail. July 2004 - Raymond Talent, 47, of Rutherglen, near Glasgow, choked to death on his vomit in the prison. June 2004 - Killer James O'Rourke stabbed a prison boss in the stomach. February 2004 - Claims are made that sex offenders in the jail's H-block are swapping child porn on CDs. January 2004 - Inmates go berserk and smash up their cells, forcing warders to call in negotiators to restore calm. January 2003 - Prisoners set fire to a pool table and refuse to return to their cells during a protest. January 2003 - Four warders are hospitalised after an attack by a convict. March 2002 - Prisoner David Ballantyne, 22, attacks another inmate with a hammer in a vicious assault. (The Mirror)

August 10, 2004
Two ex-prison officers from Scotland's only private jail have been sentenced for planting heroin on an inmate. David Allen, 44, of East Kilbride, a former supervisor at Kilmarnock Prison, was jailed for two years for attempting to pervert the course of justice. He was sentenced alongside John Robertson, 26, of Auhinleck, Ayrshire, who received 300 hours' community service for helping to plant the drugs. (BBC)

July 19, 2004
A SHERIFF has condemned Scotland's only private prison over gaps in the medical records of a prisoner found dead in his cell. In his written report following a fatal accident inquiry in Kilmarnock, Sheriff Seith Ireland said there should be a system to ensure the accuracy of records was audited so that errors could be identified. Raymond Talent, 47,of Rutherglen, near Glasgow, choked to death on his vomit at Kilmarnock prison. Talent, who was taking medication for epilepsy, had not been examined by a medical officer after his transfer to Kilmarnock from Barlinnie. He had also been givem methadone but this had not been entered on his medical records. Sheriff Ireland said the Scottish Executive and Premier Prison Services, who run the jail, should ensure staff are 'advised of the importance of meticulous record-keeping'. (Daily Record)

July 14, 2004
AN East Kilbride prison officer could find himself behind bars after being convicted by a High Court jury of attempting to pervert the course of justice. St Leonards man David Allen, 44, was accused, along with Ayrshire colleague John Robertson, of hiding heroin in the belongings of Steven Little at Kilmarnock's Bowhouse Prison -- which is Scotland's only private jail -- and putting the prisoner at risk of prosecution. Allen denied the charge but on Tuesday 26-year-old Robertson, of Auchinleck, dramatically changed his plea to guilty, claiming 'Dai' Allen, who was his supervising officer, had ordered him to stash the drug in a bag of medication belonging to Little. A short time later the jury at the High Court in Kilmarnock retired to consider the evidence and returned with a verdict on Allen of guilty. (Court Reporter)

July 8, 2004
PRISON officers at Scotland's only private jail planted drugs on an inmate, a court heard yesterday. Warder James Callaghan claimed that his boss told him to hand over a suspected heroin wrap found on a prisoner at Kilmarnock's Bowhouse jail. Supervisor Dai Allen said it "could be used to get another inmate or con with", the High Court at Kilmarnock heard. A package found later during a cell search looked "very similar" to the wrap seized by Allen, said Mr Callaghan. When asked if it had been planted, another warder, John Robertson, "grinned ear to ear", he claimed. Allen, 44, and Robertson, 26, are accused of hiding heroin in prisoner Steven Little's belongings, then ordering a search of his cell at the jail in September 2002. (The Mirror)

July 1, 2004
FIVE prisoners at Scotland's only private jail have appeared in court charged with causing a major disturbance in which an officer was injured. Derek Thomson, 41, James Cowan, 27, Kenneth Duffield, 24, Craig Scoular, 23, and George Ralph, 21, deny throwing chairs and TV sets at staff at Kilmarnock Prison on January 9. They also deny wrecking property, including setting fire to rubbish bins, and Cowan denies throwing a TV set and injuring prison officer Paul Kennedy. All five face trial at a later date. (Evening Times)

March 8, 2004
A PRISON officer was jabbed deliberately with a dirty needle as he searched an inmate's cell for drugs. Billy Donnelly, a married father of two, faces an agonising three month wait for test results to discover if he has been infected with hepatitis or HIV. It is the second time in a year Donnelly, 35, has been jabbed by cons inside HMP Kilmarnock. He had just been given the all-clear from the first attack. Fellow officers at Scotland's only private prison are furious bosses are demanding he returns to work. But he has told friends he feels unable to go back until he gets the test results. Donnelly, of Drumchapel, Glasgow, refused to comment but a colleague said: 'The guy forms part of the drugs security team. 'If an inmate has a weapon or drugs, he is one of the guys who has to get it off them. They wear black combat gear and are hated because, if they come into your cell, it's not for a wee chat. 'His life has been threatened too many times to count and then, when he gets jabbed, all the bosses can do is ask when he is returning to work. It makes you sick. 'This jail is a shambles and is awash with needles.' A Premier Prisons spokesman said: 'We do not discuss internal staffing matters. Our employees are offered all the support and counselling they need.' (SundayMail)

March 1, 2004
PRISON drug barons are raking in more than £5000 a month selling heroin to fellow inmates. A Sunday Mail investigation uncovered a supply ring at Bowhouse jail in Kilmarnock. More than 100 inmates at Scotland's only private prison are hooked on heroin and spend over half their £30-a-week wages on drugs. The behind-bars drugs ring is controlled by four inmates in the jail's D Wing Ð convicted killers John "Wudge" Dougherty and Stephen "Zed" Dempsey and drug smugglers William "Fat Boy" McLaughlin and Christian Ekkebus. One guard, too scared to be named, said: "These four control all the drugs in Kilmarnock prison and they are building up a very profitable business. Prisoners' wages average £30 to £40 a week and loads of them are giving most of it to these four low- lifes. "Senior management know who they are but fail time and time again to do anything about it. The drugs problem inside the jail is out of control." Another officer added: "The cons think they run the place and the staff are unwilling to challenge them." Prison insiders say that because of the jail's relatively relaxed regime, visitors are able to smuggle in thousands of pounds worth of drugs to the behind- bars barons. Kilmarnock's D Wing is seen as the cushiest in the jail and houses the prisoners who cause the least trouble. Stabbing Random tests fail to pick up the extent of the problem because addicts force drug- free cons to give them "clean" urine. Dempsey and Glasgow man Dougherty are both serving life at Bowhouse for murder. Dempsey, 32, of Mossblown, Ayrshire, was jailed, along with another man, in 2002 for punching, kicking and stabbing dad-of-two Charles McIntosh to death. Ekkebus, 31, a Dutch sailor, was caged for 14 years after he was caught with £43million worth of cannabis en route from Morocco to the Netherlands. To avoid patrols in the English Channel his ship detoured round the north of Scotland but he is campaigning to be moved to a jail in Holland, claiming the drugs were never intended to reach Scotland. McLaughlin, 39, of Port Glasgow, Renfrewshire, was part of a drugs gang jailed in November 2002 after he was caught with a kilo of heroin. He got eight and a half years. Judge Lord Dawson told them the drugs could have caused "untold misery and death". In January, cons went on the rampage at Kilmarnock after three people were arrested and charged with trying to smuggle in heroin. And last year the Ayrshire jail was reported to have the worst crime record of any Scots prison after offences behind bars climbed almost 50 per cent since 1999. In the year 1999-2000, there were 65 cases of convicts taking, injecting, ingesting or concealing drugs in jail. By last year, that had risen by 155 per cent to 166. Last night a spokesman for Premier Prisons, which runs the jail, said: ÒHMP Kilmarnock takes all allegations of security and drug- taking seriously. "We would be happy to act on any information supplied to us by the Sunday Mail." (Sunday mail)

February 9, 2004
A JAIL guard who groped a female colleague after pinning her to the floor has been suspended. Warder Gordon Shearer was sent home in mid January after making sexual advances towards a woman warder at Scotland's only private prison, HMP Kilmarnock. Shearer, 38, of Hurl ford, Ayrshire, appealed his suspension and is now a regular visitor to the jail in repeated attempts to plead his case to bosses. A jail insider said: ''He and the female guard were both on duty at the jail when he p inned her to the floor, lay on top of her and groped her. ''He thought it was a laugh but she went and complained to the bosses. (Sundaymail.com)

February 1, 2004
A WARDER at Scotland's only private jail has been sacked after allegedly stealing classified documents and prison plans. Matt Martin was arrested at HMP Kilmarnock when he turned up for work after claims he took documents classified under the Official Secrets Act. A spokesman for Premier Prisons, which owns the jail, confirmed Martin, 42, had been arrested at the jail and that his home and car were searched after a complaint was lodged by senior colleagues. Bosses feared it was a case of industrial espionage, as Martin is about to start a new job with a private security firm. (Sundaymail)

January 30, 2004
A fatal accident inquiry has been ordered following the death of a Kilmarnock Prison inmate. Stewart Williams, 37, was taken to Crosshouse Hospital on Friday morning and was pronounced dead a short time later. Mr Williams, who was from Ayrshire, was convicted at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court earlier this week. ((BBC)

October 20, 2003
'PRISON BOSSES at Kilmarnock took a swipe at the SNP this week as the Nationalists launched another attack on the private jail. The SNP leader John Swinney labeled Bowhouse 'the worst jail in Scotland' when fresh Government statistics were released showing crime and drug use in Scottish jails has rocketed by almost 50 per cent. The new figures highlight Kilmarnock's position at the top of a so-called national league of shame for prisons. HMP Kilmarnock houses eight per cent of the prison population, but its inmates commit almost one in five offences in Scottish jails, according to the latest figures. And prisoners at Kilmarnock are also responsible for one in every seven drug crimes committed in jail.

September 29, 2003
SCOTLAND'S only private prison has been branded "a boot camp" after cons were hammered for thousands of disciplinary offences. Screws at US-owned HMP Kilmarnock Bowhouse, in Ayrshire, dished out a staggering 7,595 punishments to prisoners in the last 12 months. The figure is DOUBLE the total punishments dished out at Glasgow's Barlinnie Jail - which houses Scotland's most dangerous prisoners. Now fears are growing that the prison, run by Premier Prison Services, a US security firm owned by former CIA hardman George Wackenhut, is more in line with notorious American jails than Scottish nicks. Last year 3,412 Kilmarnock lags were stripped of their privileges, compared to only 1,531 at HMP Edinburgh. Over 500 cons were confined to their cells, compared to only 196 at Saughton, 136 at Barlinnie and 72 at Glenochil. And almost 2,500 inmates had their wages docked. The Scottish Executive was forced to reveal the figures after being quizzed by the Scottish Nationalist Party. Last night SNP leader John Swinney blasted the prison's record. Now he is calling for plans to build another private prison in West Lothian to be scrapped. Mr Swinney said: "It sounds like this prison is being run like a boot camp. These figures prove that privatisation doesn't work." But a spokesman for billionaire Wackenhut's company, Premier, hit back saying: "We are not the worst, we are the best in Scotland because we register more offences." And a spokesman for First Minister Jack McConnell said: "I fear John Swinney 's rantings have more to do with his leadership troubles than a concern for the running of Scottish prisons." (The Mirror)

September 14, 2003
A BOSS at Scotland's only private jail has quit after four years in the job. Stewart Yates, left, resigned from his job as assistant director of Kilmarnock Prison. The 42-year-old handed in his resignation and walked out two weeks ago, telling friend she was planning to pursue a career in health care. Prison chiefs have changed the locks to his office. Yates was an award-winning psychiatric nurse before becoming assistant director when the privately-run jail opened. One source said: ``Yates just disappeared. It came as a bolt out of the blue.'' In 1999, Yates appeared in court charged with threatening wife Carol during a bust-up at their home in Kirkintilloch, near Glasgow. He was unavailable for comment yesterday. (Sunday Mail)

February 12, 2003
A PRISONER launched a vicious attack on the boss of a private jail. Former Marine Nick Cameron, 38, was punched and kicked as he talked to an inmate on a routine tour of Kilmarnock Prison. As they talked, a second inmate punched Mr Cameron in the back of the head, knocking him to the ground, and kicked him several times. A prison officer dragged the man away. A spokesman for Premier Prison Services, who run the jail, last confirmed: "The director was struck on the back of the head by a fist and fell to the ground, where he was kicked before he broke free." The Ayrshire jail, which opened in 1999, has been criticised in the past for poor performance, understaffing and low pay. The attack is the latest in a string of violent incidents and problems at Kilmarnock . On Sunday, a pool table was set on fire after some inmates refused to return to their cells. Insiders said it was in response to allegations that a prisoner was beaten up by two officers. In November, two prison officers who planted heroin on an inmate were sacked. In September, a report branded it the worst jail in Scotland with more inmates found to have drugs and knives than at any other jail. In September, a prisoner stabbed three others during a fight. An inmate was beaten with a claw hammer at a carpentry class in March. And a series of riots hit the jail in September 1999. (Daily Record)

December 4, 2002
PRISONERS have been living in overcrowded squalor while private jail cells lay empty, it was claimed yesterday. Shadow justice minister Roseanna Cunningham said the situation around Kilmarnock jail, Scotland's only private prison, was "a scandal." Figures showed the Executive paid 105,000 to the operators between 1999 and 2001 for empty places. "Labour keep telling us privatization delivers best value. The truth is that it delivers money into private pockets while prisoners are dumped in overcrowded public jails." (Daily Record)

October 6, 2002
Scotland's controversial private prison lost almost 200 brand-new television sets in its first six months as rampaging inmates smashed them up on a nightly basis. A former manager of Kilmarnock Prison has revealed that critically low staffing levels at the jail forced prison officers to bow to the demands of inmates just to keep it running. He claimed that stressed-out prison officers went off sick regularly as they struggled to cope with constant verbal and physical abuse from prisoners. "If any prisoner felt they had a complaint that was not being dealt with, they would just pick up the nearest television and launch it. It was almost like an Olympic sport in there," the source said. "You would often be running a shift with 526 prisoners and something like 20 staff. We were so short-staffed at points that senior management were often doing the duties of junior prison officers." The SNP last night attacked the Executive's record on private prisons and said that any plans for further privatisation should be shelved in the wake of the latest revelations. Shadow Justice Minister Roseanna Cunningham said: "This must be the final nail in the coffin for the privatisation of prisons." Premier Prisons, which runs the jail, last night denied there had been staff shortages or breaches of security. (AP)

September 29, 2002
An investigation was under way last night into an alleged stabbing incident at Scotland's controversial Kilmarnock private prison which left three inmates in hospital. Opposition politicians claimed the incident was further evidence that the jail- which has been criticized over its staffing levels- is out of control. Three men, aged 36,28 and 26, were taken to the hospital following the incident in the recreation area of Kilmarnock just before 9 pm on Friday. The Prison Officers Association said the Scottish Executive would have to look seriously at the contract given to Premier Custodial Services to run Kilmarnock if violent incidents continued. Earlier this year, it was revealed Kilmarnock had more incidents of vandalism and fire-raising than any other jail in Scotland. In April, Scotland on Sunday revealed Kilmarnock was the most violent prison in Scotland with 29 assaults on prison staff. The SNP's shadow deputy justice minister Michael Matheson said: "We have known for some time that staffing levels at Kilmarnock have been dangerously low. Sadly incidents such as this are an indication of how dangerous Kilmarnock Prison now is.

September 28, 2002
Three prisoners were taken to the hospital following a disturbance at Kilmarnock Prison. The men, who are aged 36, 27, and 26, were taken to Crosshouse Hospital on Friday night for treatment. Critics of the Kilmarnock jail - Scotland's only private prisons - have renewed calls for an inquiry into the way that the facility is run. Scottish National Party MSP Alex Neil said: "I've predicted for long enough that the way in which Kilmarnock prison is run, which is for profit, is going to lead to a disaster in terms of prisoner safety and public safety. '''What we need now is an urgent inquiry. "I think the time has come for the Scottish Executive to review the contract with Premier Prison Services to see if it is at all possible to legally terminate it and bring the prison back into public ownership." (BBC News)

September 5, 2002
Kilmarnock is Scotland's only private jail . A political war of words has erupted over the performance and viability of Scotland's only private prison. Scottish National Party Leader John Swinney said that levels of vandalism, arson and possession of unauthorised substances made Kilmarnock the worst jail north of the border. He said statistics collated from a series of Scottish Executive parliamentary answers illustrated that the prison was underperforming. Mr Swinney said he intends to write to Scotland's chief inspector of prisons and urge him to conduct an emergency inspection at the jail. He said the private jail had 3,634 disciplinary offences in 2001-2 compared to 1,262 offences at HMP Edinburgh and 1,738 at HMP Barlinnie. "These figures reveal a picture of Kilmarnock that makes it easily the worst prison in Scotland," Mr Swinney said. Claim dismissed "It has a disciplinary record that is staggeringly poor, with prisoners wandering through its halls apparently without a care in the world." He added: "It is little wonder that it has the worst arson and vandalism record in Scotland as a result. "Despite this, ministers remain intent on going ahead with their plan to build yet more private prisons. "Their own statistics tell them that private prisons don't work yet they are so obsessed with privatisation that they cannot accept that it is time to dump their crazy plan." The SNP in July said parliamentary answers suggested that the executive had tried to cover up subsidies to the prison. Mr Swinney said at the time the subsidies amounted to £690,698, which was almost 70% of the estimated £1m profit made by Kilmarnock Prison Services in the past two years. (Go Memphis.com)

September 2, 2002
Scotland's only private prison has the worst disciplinary record of any jail in the country, according to official figures which reveal that hundreds of inmates wander unauthorised around the facility. With Justice Minister Jim Wallace due to outline his blueprint for the future of the prison system this week, the revelation is seen by those against the establishment of more 'prisons for pounds' as proof that they do not work. Wallace had been expected to authorise the construction of at least two new private jails in the Central Belt. The report, based on figures supplied by the Scottish Prison Service, which exposed Kilmarnock's poor record, examined the disciplinary records of all local prisons and showed the Ayrshire jail, run by Premier Prisons, had a massive 3,634 disciplinary offences in 2001-02 compared with 1,262 at Edinburgh and 1,738 at Barlinnie, which has almost twice as many inmates as Kilmarnock. An even starker picture of life inside Kilmarnock is drawn by the number of unauthorised absences and appearances around the jail. Over the past year 1,545 prisoners were found in sections of the prison they were not supposed to be in or failed to report to areas where and when they were expected. In Barlinnie, there were only 13 cases of this offence in 2001-2002. Prisoners in Perth were the second-worst offenders and that prison reported just 108 absentees or wanderers. The records stretch back to 1999 and show that Kilmarnock has consistently had poorer discipline than the public-sector prisons. Its prisoners also possess more unauthorised material than any others in Scotland, start more fires and damage or destroy more property than inmates elsewhere. SNP leader John Swinney, an opponent of the private system, said: 'Next week the Justice Minister will tell the Scottish Parliament his vision for the Prison Service. These figures offer him a stark choice: he can either choose a well-run public system with dedicated and professional staff or can choose the model of organised chaos represented by HMP Kilmarnock. 'It is quite staggering that prisons such as Barlinnie, where staff are forced to work in Victorian conditions, can outperform Kilmarnock, the newest prison in Scotland. Across the board from vandalism and arson to possession of unauthorised substances, HMP Kilmarnock is the worse jail in Scotland 'Private prisons don't work. Kilmarnock proves that. The Justice Minister must now see sense and stop this local problem becoming a national disaster.' (The Observer)

July 31, 2002
Proposals for three private jails and the closure of Peterhead prison have been criticised by the wife of Scotland's most senior judge. Lady Cullen, the wife of the Lord Justice General, Lord Cullen, also called for a fresh approach from judges on the issue f sentencing. She said private prisons plans resulted from the "defeatist attitude" of those who said the prison population was set to rise and failed to see the need for alternatives to custody. (BBC News)

July 29, 2002
Justice Minister Jim Wallace has described as "absurd" claims that the Scottish Executive has sought to cover up payments to the company running Scotland's only private prison. He was responding to calls for ministers to "pull the plug" on proposals to build more private jails after the Scottish National Party claimed they would be subsidised by almost £35m. His comments arrived as the controversy surrounding the issue of private prisons gathered pace. SNP leader John Swinney has written to First Minister Jack McConnell urging him to "recognise that he has lost the argument" over privatisation. But Mr Wallace intervened and The SNP's call followed revelations that the Scottish Executive has been footing the bill for some of the running costs of the Kilmarnock jail. The SNP said "hidden" government subsidies for the only private prison north of the border amounted to £690,698 over a two-year period. "The Scottish Executive has been caught feathering the nest of private prison operators at the taxpayers' expense," he said. (