Scottish Prison Service chiefs are denying that prison wardens at Barlinnie allowed a drug dealer to attend a meeting with a solicitor advocate armed with a potentially dangerous weapon.
Last month prisoner John Gorman attacked lawyer Bob McCormack as he took a statement from him in a visiting room at Barlinnie Prison. Gorman allegedly intended to hold the solicitor hostage until prison chiefs granted him a transfer out of Barlinnie. However, reports of the incident suggested that Gorman had managed to smuggle a makeshift knife and cable ties into the visiting area with him, which he was going to use during his attack.
Subsequent investigation by The Firm has revealed that prison wardens at the jail are not being held to account and did not fail to spot a dangerous weapon being taken by Gorman into the meeting room.
According to a source, Gorman did take with him to the meeting a small piece of plastic from a piece of prison issue cutlery, which he had hidden in his groin area. There were no cables ties present.
Fortunately prison wardens managed to overpower Gorman and McCormack escaped unharmed after Gorman lunged at him after the lawyer allegedly delivered some unwelcome news.
An official spokesperson for the prison said: \"An incident took place, which was brought to a conclusion very quickly by staff. Any suggestions of a hostage situation are unfounded. No injuries were reported by any party, and it is not appropriate to comment further as the matter is subject to police investigation and possibly legal action.\"
He also denies that the prison was put under lockdown due to the incident, which is what the Scottish tabloid press was told by a prisoner who witnessed the events.
Only a few months ago Barlinnie Prison was front page news after governor William McKinlay claimed that the old prison was no longer fit for purpose and should be demolished and rebuilt to provide a modern prison facility for its long term inmates.