Press Release
28th October 2002
McNeil "Mightily
Relieved" at Assurances from Prison Boss
MSP for Greenock & Inverclyde,
Duncan McNeil, has welcomed assurances that his constituents were
not put at risk by the inappropriate day release of an inmate
from HMP Greenock. Concerns had been expressed that a convicted
child killer and sex offender had been allowed to leave the jail
to swim at Greenock’s Waterfront Centre.
Following representations on the matter from Cowdenowes Community Council, within whose boundary the prison lies, Mr McNeil had called for an investigation. The prisons chief has now assured Mr McNeil that "no prisoners convicted of sexual offences, or whose past offences have included a sexual element, are, or have been, permitted to attend local public leisure facilities on either a supervised or unsupervised basis."
Welcoming the news, Mr McNeil said:
"When Cowdenowes Community Council raised this with me, I naturally shared their concerns and demanded that the authorities look into the matter.
"Although under the Data Protection Act 1998, the Scottish Prison Service cannot go into the details of an individual prisoner’s personal circumstances without that prisoner’s explicit consent, I have been assured by Chief Executive, Tony Cameron, that no prisoners convicted of a sexual offence, or whose past offences have included a sexual element, are, or have been, permitted to attend local public leisure facilities, supervised or otherwise.
"Mr Cameron also confirms that the appropriate procedures were followed in this case.
"I am mightily relieved at this news
and trust that it will reassure our community."
ENDS
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