Killer due compensation over confiscated Xbox

A brutal murderer’s bid to force prison authorities to give him back his penis pump and Xbox has been rejected by a north-east court – but the taxpayer still faces a compensation bill.

Imran Shahid was the head of a gang that killed Glasgow teenager Kriss Donald by stabbing him 13 times before setting him on fire in 2004.

Now the killer, who is locked up in Peterhead jail, is due compensation from the Scottish Prison Service because it allowed him to buy a games console behind bars before taking it away.

The 39-year-old appeared at Peterhead Sheriff Court yesterday seeking the return of the sex aid which he said he needed to treat erectile dysfunction,

The case was deferred in October to give Shahid and the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) a chance to provide evidence to support their arguments.

But yesterday a report from a doctor – identified only as Dr MacRitchie – said he was unable to prove that Shahid had erectile dysfunction.

Shahid also failed to convince the court that the SPS had illegally removed an Xbox 360 games console from his cell. He argued that the jail’s governor, Allister Purdie, had breached a contract between the two which allowed him to have the machine on the understanding it could not connect to the internet.

It was removed, however, when fears were raised that it would be feasible for its connectivity to be turned back on.

Sheriff Kevin Drummond rejected Shahid’s bid for either device to be returned but said the killer was owed “reasonable compensation” because he had bought the console while locked up.

He said: “Mr Shahid lawfully purchased and possessed a device which the SPS later confiscated...I am going to pause the case to enable you to provide to the governor evidence of your costs.

“I think that you are entitled to compensation under these circumstances.”

Shahid had originally wanted £3,000 in damages. Another hearing will take place in the new year to determine what amount of compensation Shahid is owed.