MY SON WAS ROBBED OF ALL DIGNITY
Tragic inmate’s gran blasts FAI and treatment of teenager after he died
The family of a boy who took his life at Polmont say “no words” can describe their horror at the suggestion that his body could have been dragged through the jail hall.
Raygen Merchant died at the jail just two months short of his 18th birthday in 2014.
A fatal accident inquiry found his death was “unforeseeable” despite claims he had been “terrorised” by a prison officer.
The FAI heard Raygen’s body was not moved for several hours after it was found.
His gran Donna Watt described the FAI findings as “one big coverup” and said Raygen had been robbed of his dignity at the prison.
Donna, of Aberdeen, said: “We were not happy with the FAI verdict.
“There was a statement from an officer that two other officers had seemingly gone into Raygen’s cell to try to provoke him so they could put him into segregation.
“I felt the inquiry outcome should have been stronger than it was. If it could have stopped another family going through what we went through, it would have achieved something.
“I felt it was all just one big cover- up. They need to do the obvious things, like showing more care for and attention to people. “I saw on the news about a young girl who took her life after being bullied there. I thought, ‘Not again,’ and felt so sorry for her mum and dad.” Shortly before his death, Raygen had pleaded guilty to entering the home of a 32-year-old woman in Aberdeen and assaulting her with a knife. The FAI findings state that, at about 1pm on October 16, the day before Raygen died, a piece of paper was placed “under the door of his cell by other inmates outwith the sight of prison officers” which stated “yer getting done”.
Raygen was found hanged in his cell at 5.30 the next morning but was left in the position for several hours.
Sheriff John Mundy stated in his FAI report: “The body was left too long while the police were awaited.
“There also seems to have been a difficulty relating to the removal of the body when the staff that arrived were not sufficient in number and did not have the necessary equipment.
“They apparently proposed dragging the body through the hall. Prison officers intervened so that RM could
be carried out with dignity.” Donna, 59, said: “When I read about the fact he had been left in his cell for hours, I just felt it showed they didn’t even give him any dignity after he died.
“As for the idea he would be dragged through the hall, there’s no words to describe it other than just sickening.
“We asked undertakers here to dress him before they brought him home to give him a bit of dignity. It’s so sad.
“We don’t shy away from Raygen’s offences but he was also a funny boy who was close to his friends and his girlfriend. He loved to rap and he loved art and politics.
“He had lost his mum and sister and had a tough time. His girlfriend Lizzie always remembers him. We miss him every day.”
A former prison warder who worked at Polmont at the time claimed during the FAI that colleagues had boasted of wanting to “terrorise” Raygen shortly before he took his life.
William Main spoke of his “shame” at failing to stop what he called a “highly unprofessional in- cel l inter v iew”. He told the inquiry an officer “stated his dislike” for Raygen and said he was going to interview him.
Main added: “He indicated he was going to go into his cell with another officer to ‘terrorise’ him.” He claimed the officers “wanted to get a reaction from him to justify moving him to segregation cells”.
Main said he then recalled coming on shift on October 17 and being told Raygen had taken his life. The inquiry heard he reported the officers’ actions to his manager, to the Prison Officers’ Association and in a statement to police.
He said he was traumatised that “so little was done to preserve the dignity of the deceased”. The FAI report repeatedly refers to an article in the Scottish Sun, published shortly before Raygen died, which mentioned a possible sexual element to his crime. His offence did not include a formal charge of a sexual nature, although the narration in court mentioned such an element.
Sheriff Mundy said Raygen decided to take his own life “as a result of his perception that others would consider him to be a sex offender”.
He added: “It is clear from the letters he wrote and the transcripts of phone calls that being put in the category of a sex offender was a step too far and something he could not tolerate.”
Mundy said: “His death was a tragic but ultimately unforeseeable event.”
A Scottish Prison Service spokesman said: “Previously, where it was clear an individual had passed away, the scene was secured until the arrival of police. Now, anyone who was found hanging would be cut down immediately. Our records suggest that in this instance the delay was in the region of one hour.”
He added the proposal to drag Raygen’s body through the prison hall came from funeral directors, two of whom turned up “with no equipment”.
He said Main’s claim was fully explored by the SPS and FAI and the sheriff was “unable to be satisfied” that the allegations were “established”.
I felt the inquiry was just one big cover-up. It’s so sad