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Daily Record
Daily Record
National
David Meikle

Scots prisoner took out contract on rival inmate days before killing himself

A prisoner had taken out a contract on a rival behind bars days before he killed himself, an inquiry heard.

Paul Hamilton, 43, clashed with another inmate at Glasgow's Barlinnie jail and had been moved by authorities. But he was later found hanged in his cell by guards and died in hospital.

A fatal accident inquiry at Glasgow Sheriff Court heard Lorraine Roughan, deputy governor of HMP Barlinnie, confirm bosses had discovered Hamilton's 'contract' plans before they moved him.

She told the probe before Sheriff Patricia Pryce that Hamilton had sought to organise violence against 'Prisoner S'.

Hamilton had been serving a sentence of three years and four months for bribing a man to drop an assault charge.

Hamilton and his wife, Jolene Harkins, admitted giving £1,000 to Jake Francis, from Tyneside, who was knifed on the head and body by Hamilton at the couple's flat in Glasgow's Springburn in 2016, in a bid to make him change his evidence.

But the High Court in Glasgow heard Francis spent the cash and then gave evidence against Hamilton anyway.

Hamilton had been serving his sentence when he took his own life on October 24, 2019.

Sheriff Pryce has ruled Hamilton's death could not have been avoided and no recommendations have been made. Her written judgment detailed how Roughan had been alerted to potential trouble with Hamilton.

She said: "Ms Roughan gave very clear evidence about the processes and procedures involved in placing of prisoners within prison and in particular when dealing with prisoners who were on protection or who wished to be or indeed required protection.

"She confirmed that Prisoner S was housed in the same unit as Mr Hamilton but did not know on which floor he was located.

"She explained that intelligence had been received that Mr Hamilton had taken out a contract on Mr S which prompted the decision to move Mr Hamilton on 22 October 2019 and that paperwork had been served on Mr Hamilton for his breach of prison rules when he refused to move."

The inquiry heard Hamilton had been attacked in HMP Addiewell before being sent to Barlinnie but had then complained that one of his alleged attackers had also been sent there.

It also heard his wife had clashed with a friend of 'Mr S' during visiting times at Barlinnie.

Sheriff Pryce concluded: "There are no precautions which could reasonably have been taken that might realistically have resulted in the death being avoided."

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