Systemic failures led to deaths at Polmont Young Offenders Institution

A joint fatal accident inquiry into the suicides of two young people at Polmont Young Offenders Institution has found that systemic failures led to their deaths.

Katie Allan, 21, and William Brown (also known as William Lindsay), 16, were found dead in their cells in 2018.

In a Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) report published today, Sheriff Simon Collins KC said there were reasonable precautions by which both deaths might have been avoided.

The sheriff identified systemic failures which contributed to the deaths and made a total of 25 recommendations which might prevent other deaths in similar circumstances.

Among the recommendations, the sheriff called for greater recognition by the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) of the importance of ligature prevention as a way of stopping suicides, recommending that double bunk beds be removed from any cells accommodating young prisoners.

He also called on the SPS to make cells at Polmont safter by identifying and removing ligature anchor points.

Speaking at a press conference for the families in Glasgow, John Reilly, William’s brother, said: “Why could this ever be able to happen to a 16-year-old guy? He was my baby brother; he was a terrified little boy. He was left alone in a cell for up to 10 hours.

“It seemed to me that essentially Polmont could not afford to keep William alive. That’s what it came down to – it was funding, which is a horrible and distressful insight to how things could be inside that institution.”

Katie’s mother, Linda, said she felt “anger, relief, vindication, pain and ever-present grief” at being able to read the FAI report.

She said: “Katie was brutalised in Polmont. So much so that she lost all hope and saw only one solution – her death.”

A Scottish Prison Service spokesperson said: “Our thoughts remain with the families of Katie Allan and William Lindsay.

“We are committed to doing everything we can to support people and keep them safe during one of the most challenging and vulnerable periods of their life.

“We are grateful to Sheriff Collins for his recommendations, which we will now carefully consider before responding further.”

Following the publication of the determination, the Solicitor General for Scotland, Ruth Charteris KC, said: “I would again wish to acknowledge the deep anguish that the deaths of Katie and William have brought to their families and appreciate that the wait for these proceedings has been too long. 

“Since their deaths, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service has introduced reforms designed to reduce the time it takes to investigate deaths, improve the quality of such investigations, and improve communication with bereaved families.”

She added:  “There is much more that can be done across the whole of the justice system to improve how deaths in custody are investigated, and the Crown is committed to contributing to that. 

“I hope that these proceedings provided the families with the answers they sought, and the sheriff’s determination helps to prevent similar deaths in the future.” 

Justice secretary Angela Constance said deaths in custody from suicide are “as tragic as they are preventable”.

She said: “My deepest sympathies and condolences are with the families of Katie Allan and William Lindsay who have lost a child and sibling. I am deeply sorry about their deaths and that their families have had to wait so long for the conclusion of this process. I fully appreciate that this has been an arduous process and will have compounded the trauma and distress of the families.

“Deaths from suicide in custody are as tragic as they are preventable, and the deaths of these two young people should not have happened whilst they were in the care of the state.

“I thank Sheriff Collins for his detailed determination which has highlighted a number of reasonable precautions that should have been taken and systemic failures that must be addressed to help prevent other deaths in custody. His recommendations will be given very careful and detailed consideration.”