Family of Katie Allan say she was failed by police, prison service and sheriff

Katie Allan, 21, died in June this year, while serving a 16-month sentence for a drink-driving offence that led to a 15-year-old boy being knocked unconscious on Eastwoodmains Road in Giffnock.

Katie’s parents say they fully accepted that the courts should punish their daughter but said she was “let down” by police, the prison service and the sheriff who imposed a custodial sentence, “as a first option.” They have requested a meeting with Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf.

They say she was ‘singled out’ for strip searches - including a lengthy incident which was used as a training exercise for staff - and bullied by inmates.

Linda said her daughter’s fragile mental state was assessed only once “briefly” before she went into prison. Concerns that her daughter had lost 80% of her hair due to stress and was self-harming, she says, were ignored by staff.

Katie’s mother told how she found her daughter distraught during a visit. A  prison warden promised to take action but it was the last time she saw her alive.

Aamer Anwer, Rector of Glasgow University, where Katie studied, and a high-profile lawyer, said he had been contacted by prison staff who say they don’t have the resources and training to deal with people with mental health problems.

The family today launched a campaign, backed by the injured boy's family and Mr Anwer, demanding radical changes to the prison service, including improved mental health provision as well as changes to sentencing options. 

The family are calling for round-the-clock access to suicide helplines in jail, an end to solitary confinement for vulnerable inmates and a review of Fatal Accident Inquiry laws.

Figures show, 26 people have died in Scottish jails this year, with the majority still waiting for an inquiry.

Katie’s father Stuart called for greater consistency in sentencing laws, saying similar cases and some that were more serious had not led to prison terms.

The family’s campaign has been backed by Margaret Kennan, the mother of the boy, who was injured in the crash and has now recovered.

Linda said: “On August 10 last year, Katie made a fatal decision. That one decision cost Katie her life.

“Much has been written about Katie by the press and on social media.

“Despite what some papers have said, Katie did not commit a ‘hit and run.’ She was never sentenced with this offence.

“We and Katie fully accepted that the courts should punish Katie for the two offences she did commit.

“Our decision to speak with the press and expose ourselves and our families to the hurtful, cruel comments on social media isn’t because we are so called ‘middle class.’

“Our decision was made because Katie was not the first young person in Scotland to die in custody. This could happen.

“From the minute of arrest, Katie was failed. She was failed by Police Scotland, who did not recognise a petrified, distraught, young vulnerable woman. 

“She was failed by Sheriff Pender, who absolutely did have alternatives at his disposal, especially when the Keenan family had shown such forgiveness.

“We have been told that an FAI will happen ‘in due course’. In reality, that means, we will wait years for a determination that will,  at the very most change nothing.”

University chaplain, Reverend Stuart MacQuarrie who visited Katie in Polmont said: “To transform lives you need to appeal to the human spirit by compassion and rehabilitation not indifference to people as human beings.”

A spokesman for the Crown Office said: “The investigation into the death of Katie Allan is ongoing and there will be a mandatory Fatal Accident Inquiry in due course once our investigations are complete.”