The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Home release for McIntosh ‘a disgrace’, says Liam Kerr
Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Liam Kerr has branded Robbie McIntosh’s home release a “disgrace”.
His comments came after a case review into the convicted killer’s monitoring showed a number of failures to properly risk assess him and track his movements in the community.
Mr Kerr said: “The circumstances around which this highly dangerous individual was released are a disgrace.
“Not only should he not have been freed in the first place, he should have been monitored to within an inch of his life.
“The consequences of these failings were the savage attack on an innocent woman.”
Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said the government will explore the possibility of electronic monitoring and GPS tagging for prisoners on home leave.
He is due to meet with Linda McDonald tomorrow and praised her bravery, apologising for the “pain and trauma” the attack caused her.
Mr Yousaf said: “The victim in this case has shown considerable bravery and I am sorry for the pain and trauma she has experienced.
“It’s clear that this crime has had a lasting impact on her and her family and I am grateful for her contribution to this review. I will meet her to hear first-hand about her experience.
“It is important that lessons are learnt from the significant case review findings and that they are acted upon.
“The Scottish Government and Scottish Prison Service accept all the recommendations for our two organisations and action is already under way to address those issues highlighted in the report.
“We will also explore options for the further use of electronic monitoring and potential to use GPS tagging to support Home Leave.
“Public protection is at the heart of Scotland’s approach to the management and necessary testing of people with offending backgrounds in the community.
“While we can never eliminate risk entirely, we and our MAPPA partners aim to do everything that can reasonably be done to protect people from individuals with serious offending backgrounds who are subject to robust risk assessment and risk management planning.”
Scottish Labour justice spokesman James Kelly added: “This case is extremely concerning.
“Any application for home leave must be accompanied by proper risk assessment that takes a robust view if prisoners are likely to present any danger to the public.”
The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) said it welcomed the report and accepted its recommendations “without reservation”.
An SPS spokesman said: “The assault was a despicable act of cruelty and violence which we condemn.
“SPS deeply regrets that someone who was on licence from our care subjected the victim to such a painful and traumatic experience.
“While SPS’s risk management team process is regarded as a strong framework through which to manage risk, there remains scope for improvement.
“SPS will remain committed to making whatever adjustments and improvements deemed necessary, aiming to ensure that such a tragedy does not happen again.”