Inside the scandal-hit Polmont Young Offenders Institution where inmates are 'forced to parade naked' and five people took their own lives in just four years - as facility hit by claims of a 'culture of mistreatment' and bullying

A scandal-hit young offenders’ institution where a drink driving university student took her own life had a ‘culture of mistreatment’ that saw inmates bullied and ‘forced to parade naked’, it is claimed.

Katie Allan died within months of arriving  at Polmont Young Offenders Institution, Stirlingshire in June 2018. A joint inquiry is investigating her death and that of William Brown, 16, who was found dead in his cell in October 2018 hours after being taken of suicide watch.

During her last few months of her life, Ms Allan was ‘terrorised’ by inmates who bullied her for her stress-related hair loss before she was brought a banana rather than a bandana by a nurse to cover her up, her parents say. 

They also claim she was repeatedly subjected to strip searches so staff could ‘reach their quotes’ and forced by other inmates to hand over her possessions and carry out menial tasks for them.

Four inmates at Polmont took their lives in just four years, while a freedom of information request in 2019 found it was receiving two complaints against staff a month. Six were in relation to bullying or assault, while employees were also suspended for inappropriate behaviour and trafficking.

Katie Allan died within months of arriving at Polmont Young Offenders Institution, Stirlingshire in June 2018

Ms Allan was found dead aged 21 on June 4, 2018, a day after her healthcare worker mother Linda warned a prison officer she was ‘terrified’ after being ‘berated’ by other prisoners

A joint inquiry is investigating her death and that of William Brown, 16, who was found dead in his cell in October 2018 hours after being taken of suicide watch

Ms Allan was jailed for 16 months for running over 15-year-old Michael Keenan in August 2017. The Glasgow University student, who had drunk four pints, always insisted she did not realise she had hit anyone after her tyre blew and she hit an island before driving off.

She had no previous convictions and the family of the victim, who recovered from a broken ankle and an injured eye socket, begged the judge not to send her to a young offenders’ institution.

But sentencing her in 2018, Sheriff David Pender told her it should have been ‘very obvious’ she was not in a fit state to drive and that the ‘combination of the two charges’ – dangerous driving and drink-driving – made it ‘impossible’ for him not to jail her.

Ms Allan was found dead aged 21 on June 4, 2018, a day after her healthcare worker mother Linda warned a prison officer she was ‘terrified’ after being ‘berated’ by other prisoners. 

A toxicology report during a post-mortem examination found 0.034mg per litre of mirtazapine – an antidepressant, which Ms Allan was not prescribed. She had lost 15lb after just four months in custody.  

Linda and her husband, Stuart, compiled a dossier of failures they claim occurred before their daughter’s death. 

They say Ms Allen was tormented by other women, made to give away her belongings and bullied.

Her devastated parents believe more should have been done to help when it became obvious she was ­suffering from ­stress-related alopecia and being bullied as a result.

Describing one incident that they say proved the ‘blatant incompetence’ of Polmont’s nursing staff, Linda said: ‘When Katie began to lose her hair I asked if Katie be allowed a head scarf or bandana to cover the apparent areas of ­baldness.

‘This was refused by the reception staff at HMP & YOI ­Polmont. SPS staff contacted the health centre before the 27th of April seeking advice on how to get Katie a head covering.

‘Katie reported that a prison officer called the health centre and spoke with a member of the nursing team asking if Katie be allowed a head scarf or ­bandana.

‘The nurse stated that they indeed had such items and would bring some to Katie’s hall. A nurse went to Katie’s hall with two bananas. As amusing as this story was at the time, it is a tragic ­representation of the blatant incompetence of the nursing staff.’

Polmont is the largest young offenders’ institution in Scotland and home to Aaron Campbell, who was aged 16 when he abducted, raped and murdered six-year-old Scottish girl Alesha Sarah MacPhail in 2018. 

Linda and Stuart Allan, the parents of Katie Allan, arrive at Falkirk Sheriff Court today

The couple say their daughter was tormented by other women, made to give away her belongings and bullied

Ms Allan was studying at Glasgow University and was described as a ‘lovely lassie’

Speaking in 2019, the Allans said they accepted their daughter needed to be punished but were horrified by the conditions she had to endure. 

Linda said: ‘Katie had been bullied and berated and was in clear distress. She had lost her hair. On my last visit to see her with her brother, we knew something was wrong. She looked exhausted and hadn’t slept because she was being terrorised and bullied.

‘We flagged this up with two of the prison officers and we now know that, just before she died, they had told her she might be moved to the adult prison. Katie would have been terrified.’

Linda Allan previously told the Daily Record in Scotland her daughter told her she was strip searched after almost every visit her parents made to the prison.

Her mother said she believed Katie’s compliant nature was making her daughter an easy target for the wardens to ‘reach their strip-search quotas’. On one occasion she said six guards searched her during a training exercise and talked about her as if she were not in the room.

A friend told The Sun: ‘She was definitely getting bullied. That and the prison environment directly contributed to her ending her life. She should never have been in there.

‘One woman was making her give her tobacco, handing over her stamps and posting her letters for her. She had her scared s**tless.’

During Ms Allan’s post mortem self-harm marks were found on her body. Her parents have questioned why she was not prevented from self-harming since she was seen naked regularly during strip searches.

Katie took her own life five months into her sentence after a hit and run while she was drink driving

The fatal accident inquiry into Ms Allan and William Brown’s deaths at Polmont is now underway at Falkirk Sherriff Court.

Mr Brown was remanded in custody after being deemed a ‘potential risk to public safety’ at Glasgow Sheriff Court on October 4 2018, three days before his death, the inquiry heard.

On October 3, Mr Brown had walked into a police station with a knife, while on bail

for another blade offence, the inquiry heard in a statement of agreed evidence. Despite a plea to bail him due to a lack of beds in a secure unit, Mr Brown was remanded to Polmont, where he died three days later.

Before he was taken there, Mr Brown was asked by a social worker if he was suicidal, and replied: ‘No, not now, but I don’t know how I’ll be in prison.’

Since 2016, Mr Brown had been taken to hospital due to suicide attempts and ideation, excess drug use and fighting on 15 occasions in two years, and was initially put on a 30-minute observation at Polmont when he arrived, ‘for reassurance and safety’.

Since 2017, three other inmates have taken their lives in Polmont. They are Robert Wagstaff, Liam Kerr and Jack McKenzie.

The most recent inspection found Polmont had made ‘improvements’ and ranked it ‘satisfactory’ on seven of the nine standards inspected. The other two were ranked ‘generally acceptable’.

However, inspectors called for more ‘intelligence-led searching’ instead of body searching to avoid re-traumatising female prisoners who may have been abused. 

For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch, see www.samaritans.org for details.