At last, 5 years on, Polmont double death probe begins

Youngsters took own lives behind bars

THE deaths of two young people who took their own lives at Polmont Young Offenders Institution five years ago are to be probed in a joint investigation.

Katie Allan was found dead at the facility near Falkirk in June 2018, aged 21, while serving a sentence for a driving offence.

William Lindsay, 16, died in October that year, two days after being sent to Polmont on remand.

The delay in establishing a Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) has frustrated the youngsters’ families but a preliminary hearing will finally be held on Tuesday, July 11, at Falkirk Sheriff Court.

Solicitor General Ruth Charteris, KC, said: ‘I met with Katie’s mother and father and William’s mother and brother and having listened to them I fully appreciate the wait for these proceedings has been too long and distressing.

‘My hope is this inquiry provides them with the answers they are looking for and helps to prevent similar deaths in the future.’

The families of Ms Allan and Mr Lindsay have long called for justice in relation to the deaths.

A statement issued by solicitor Aamer Anwar on their behalf yesterday called for the lifting of Crown immunity, which stops the Scottish Prison Service from being prosecuted over such incidents.

It said: ‘We do not have the death sentence in Scotland but for William and Katie that is exactly what Polmont meant.

‘The lifting of Crown immunity must be a priority for the Scottish Government. Whilst an FAI cannot apportion blame, the families of William and Katie hold the Scottish Prison Service and Health Service directly responsible for their deaths and will fight to ensure other lives can be saved.

‘The irony is that had Katie or William died in a private prison, a police cell or mental health hospital, it would have been possible to prosecute them. Crown immunity is a shameful abuse of power.’

Glasgow University student Ms Allan died while she was serving a six-month term for a drink-driving offence that led to a boy of 15 being knocked unconscious in the Glasgow suburb of Giffnock.

Katie’s parents Linda and Stuart Allan said: ‘This Sunday will be the fifth anniversary of our daughter’s death. We will spend the day reflecting on her life and all she meant to us.

‘Katie’s life, like many other young people, meant nothing to the Scottish Prison Service. If it had, she would not be dead.’

Mr Anwar said an evidential hearing is not expected to start until January next year.

Unlike criminal proceedings, FAIs are used to establish facts rather than apportion blame.

However, an FAI can establish if any reasonable precautions could have been taken, and could be implemented in the future, to minimise the risk of future deaths in similar circumstances.

‘Crown immunity is an abuse of power’