Family of Peterhead prison siege ringleader say he was treated inhumanely while dying
dailyrecord.co.ukThe family of the ringleader in the notorious 1980s roof-top prison siege at Peterhead claim he was treated inhumanely in the last days of his life.Convicted killer John Gallagher, 72, should have been released on compassionate grounds, says his widow, but was instead chained to guards as he lay dying in hospital.Susie, 62, said: “The way my husband was treated in his dying days was just barbaric.
The two guards were there 24/7 and they were there when he died."They were ordered by medical staff to remove his restraints including chains and handcuffs when he was first admitted.
Susie said her husband was kept under constant guard in hospital by custody officers from a private prison escort firm employed by the Scottish Prison Service.They were ordered by medical staff to remove his restraints including chains and handcuffs when he was first admitted.She added: “They never gave us one moment to ourselves.
They would sit on either side of the bed listening to every word. We could not speak with any privacy.”Gallagher died before his lawyer’s application to Scottish Government ministers for him to be freed could be heard.He was jailed in 1979 for the murder of a butcher during a botched robbery in Glasgow.But he gained infamy in 1984 when prisoners at Peterhead rioted, taking two prison officers hostage and breaking through the top of the jail to protest at conditions.
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