Scots prison officer weeps while giving evidence during court probe into Polmont death
dailyrecord.co.ukA prison officer wept today as she told a court how she'd broken prison rules to take bandanas into a young offenders' institution for a young female Glasgow university student who was losing her hair - and who went on to kill herself just three months after being jailed for 16 months for dangerous driving.
Katie Allan had a history of self-harm, was worried about how she would be received back in the community when released, and was suffering from significant hair loss from the stress-related condition alopecia, a fatal accident inquiry, at Falkirk Sheriff Court, was told.
Katie, 21, had been bullied, taunted, called "a baldy bastard" by other lags, lost over a stone in weight, and had been having relationship difficulties with her boyfriend, before she was found hanged in her cell at Polmont Young Offenders' Institution, Stirlingshire, on June 4th 2018, the probe heard.She was earlier described as "lovely", "different" from other lags, and "not built for prison".
Prison officer Jennifer Wilson, 52, whose duties included escorting visitors into and out of the jail, told the probe she had tried to reassure Katie's wheelchair-bound grandmother, who was crying after a visit to her granddaughter.She said: "I said I'd keep an eye on her." Weeping, Mrs Wilson revealed she had broken prison rules by bringing in bandanas for Katie to cover her hair loss.
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