Daily Record

Call for probe into services that failed dying inmate

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BY ANNIE BROWN a.brown@dailyrecor­d.co.uk

THE killers of a man who was left dying in a prison cell for five hours were sentenced to almost 20 years in jail yesterday.

Craig Derrick, 31, Brian Laing, 27, and David Till, 33, attacked Darren Brownlie in a cell in HMP Low Moss, near Glasgow, on January 6.

Catastroph­ic failures led to a five-hour delay in paramedics reaching Darren, 47, by which time he was “unresponsi­ve” in a pool of blood and later died.

Darren’s mum Eleanor, 79, yesterday said the sentences were not enough for taking a life but claimed failings on the part of the prison service and others contribute­d to his death.

Eleanor said: “I wish it was longer. They deserve to be put away for a long time.

“His death has brought me to my knees but it is not just those men who caused Darren to die, but all the services which abandoned him and left him to die.”

Darren’s brother Robert said failures by the prison, the NHS and ambulance services led to the death.

Remand prisoner Darren was kicked and punched during a 66-second assault after being accused of conning inmates by swapping prescripti­on drugs for legal highs.

The men attacked during a meal time when they knew guards would be busy.

Yesterday, judge Lord Matthews said the attack had clearly been planned.

He said: “No sentence I can impose will ever be enough to allay the grief felt by Mr Brownlie’s family and friends.

“He went into prison to await trial and he and they were entitled to assume that he would be safe there.”

Lord Matthews said there would be a fatal accident inquiry into the death and Darren’s family “will undoubtedl­y have a large amount of questions into the circumstan­ces”.

He said: “I accept that had it not been for the delay in receiving treatment Mr Brownlie would have survived.”

Laing and Till were each sentenced to six years and nine months. Derrick was handed a six-year term. All three men, who admitted culpable homicide last month, will be monitored for two years on their release.

Robert said: “My brother’s killers were sniggering and laughing in court, that’s the level of remorse they have for taking a life. It’s disgusting.

“They deserve to never get out. But they are not the only reason my brother is dead. He was let down by every system which should have protected him.

“I want to know why and I want to make sure no other family goes through the awful pain we have suffered.”

The court earlier heard that Darren had been summoned to Derrick’s cell and attacked, suffering a number of injuries to the face including heavy bleeding from his nose. A nurse who examined him suspected that he had broken ribs.

An ambulance was called for at 5.28pm but it was not until 10.13pm that paramedics arrived, by which time Darren was unresponsi­ve. He died at 10.34pm.

Darren was screaming for help as he waited for paramedics but was told by a prison officer: “Stop pressing the f ****** buzzer. I’ve told you help is on the way.”

The Daily Record revealed last month that two nursing staff were temporaril­y suspended when the ambulance service made a formal complaint alleging its crew found Darren near death with no medical assistance.

The family’s lawyer, Aamer Anwar, said Darren’s treatment was “inhumane”.

He said the Scottish Prison Service, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, and Scottish Ambulance Service “all failed in their duty of care”.

Anwar has written to the Lord Advocate, Police Scotland and the Scottish Government to demand a full criminal and Health and Safety investigat­ion, to establish if there are grounds for a prosecutio­n for corporate homicide.

He said: “His family cannot rest until justice is truly served.”

 ??  ?? HITTING OUT
Eleanor wants answers
SAVAGE Derrick, Laing and Till attacked Darren, right, at Low Moss jail. Our story yesterday, below
HITTING OUT Eleanor wants answers SAVAGE Derrick, Laing and Till attacked Darren, right, at Low Moss jail. Our story yesterday, below

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