The solicitor-general had “no hesitation in apologising for the delays” in the investigation into a young woman’s suicide in custody, her family have said.
Ruth Charteris QC met the family of Katie Allan at the procurator fiscal’s office in Glasgow yesterday, Aamer Anwar, their solicitor, said. A fatal accident inquiry into Allan’s death cannot be held until a decision is made about whether to prosecute the prison service. Allan, 21, died in June 2018 at Polmont young offenders institution, where she was serving a 16-month sentence for a driving offence in which a pedestrian was injured.
The Crown Office decided not to prosecute the Scottish prison service in September 2019, but that decision was appealed against by Allan’s parents in October last year.
A statement on behalf of the family said: “The family were assured that regardless of what happened in the past, that this case would now be treated with the utmost urgency. A fatal accident inquiry cannot take place until a decision is made on whether a prosecution of the Scottish prison service will take place or not.”
The family are said to have told Charteris that inquiries taking place years later were “not fit for purpose”.
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A statement from Anwar’s office said: “The Allans, like many other families before them and since, have seen a system that operates in a culture of secrecy which is not interested in learning lessons or accepting responsibility.”
William Brown, 16, also known as William Lindsay, killed himself 48 hours after being sent to Polmont four months after the death of Allan. A review of mental health provision at Polmont then found that some inmates were not given enough attention.
Charteris said: “I have taken steps to ensure that progress is made and that there is meaningful communication with the Allan family.”
