Prosecuting Polmont

Seriously...

BBC

Society & Culture, Documentary

4.1 • 885 Ratings

🗓️ 20 February 2024

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In 2018, within a few months of each other, Katie Allan and William Lindsay took their own lives at Polmont Young Offenders Institution in Scotland. There have been nine suicides at Polmont since 2012 and the overall suicide rate in Scottish prisons is at a record high.

Katie's mum Linda believes many of these deaths were avoidable. She was told by the Crown Office that there were sufficient grounds for prosecuting the Scottish Prison Service for potential failures of duty of care to both Katie and William, but they couldn't proceed because, unlike the police, the NHS, or even a private prison, the prison service has immunity from prosecution.

With a Fatal Accident Inquiry about to open into Katie and William's deaths, Linda has little faith it will hold the prison accountable.

Dani Garavelli Presenter and Researcher Liza Greig Producer Elizabeth Clark Executive Producer

BBC Scotland Productions for BBC Radio 4

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	This was an impregnable fortress. The only way you get out was in a wooden box.
0:05.0	The controversial maximum security prison impossible to escape from.
0:09.0	And one of the duties of a political prisoner is the escape.
0:12.0	The IRA inmates who found a way. of a political prisoner is the escape.
0:12.5	The IRA inmates who found a way.
0:14.5	I'm Carlo Gableer and I'll be navigating a path
0:19.5	through the disturbing inside story of the biggest jailbreak in British and Irish history.
0:25.0	The narrative that they want is that this is a big achievement by them.
0:28.5	Escape from the maze, listen first on BBC Sounds.
0:35.0	BBC Sounds.
0:35.0	BBC Sounds, music radio podcasts.
0:39.0	Hello and welcome to Seriously from BBC Radio 4. I'm Danny Garavelli and you're
0:45.8	about to hear my Radio 4 documentary prosecuting Paulment. It's the story of
0:50.8	William and Katie who took their own lives at Paul
0:53.5	at the young offenders institution and it asks where accountability lies
0:57.3	when the Scottish Prison Service is immune from prosecution. The documentary was broadcast on the 3rd of January 2024 before the
1:06.3	fatal accident inquiry into their death took place. For more stories like this,
1:11.6	listen to seriously on BBC Sounds.
1:14.3	From day one we felt a crime had been committed, you know, Katie died in the care of the state and we could not get her head around how that could possibly happen.
1:34.0	Why is it that every other public body can be held to account,
1:37.0	but the one institution that has quite literally the power of life and death over an individual can lock you up for 24 hours of
1:44.4	days, seven days a week.
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in -406 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.