An SAS veteran who went on to become Scotland’s chief inspector of prisons has died.

Clive Fairweather, who was 68, was born and raised in Edinburgh before spending 34 years in the Army, where he rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

During his military career he completed three tours with the Special Air Service and was also security adviser to the Iranian and Jordanian Royal Households in 1970-71. He was second-in-command of 22 SAS at the Iranian Embassy siege in London in 1980. His last job in the military was at Edinburgh Castle, where he was military security officer for the Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

After retiring from active service in 1994, Lt Col Fairweather was appointed Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland. He served in that role until 2002 and became known as a champion of prison reform and an outspoken campaigner for a more compassionate approach to female offenders.

He was made a Commander of the British Empire in 2003 for his lifetime of public and national service.

An Army spokeswoman said he was actively involved in The King's Own Scottish Borderers Regimental Museum, the now disbanded KOSB having been the regiment he served in during his Army career. She added that he was also a patron of the Combat Stress charity, which supports veterans with post-conflict mental health challenges.

Andrew Cameron, chief executive of Combat Stress, said: "It was with great sadness that we learned of Clive Fairweather's passing. Clive was a tireless servant of Combat Stress, and a wonderful advocate of our work and the issue of veterans' welfare and mental health. Over the years he raised thousands of pounds in Scotland to support Combat Stress's vital work and greatly raised awareness of the needs of Scottish veterans.

"Clive had a wonderful rapport with the veterans who we support and, as an ex-serviceman of considerable distinction himself, was trusted and respected by them. His energy and passion will be sorely missed and our thoughts are with his family and friends at this very sad time."

First Minister Alex Salmond paid tribute to Lt Col Fairweather and his "unique combination of humanity and common sense".

Mr Salmond said: “It is very sad to hear of the death of Clive Fairweather and my sympathies go out to his family and friends. I got to know Clive well as Chief Inspector of Prisons through our joint interest in supporting the pioneering prison regime at Peterhead which was then under threat of closure.

"He had a fund of extraordinary stories about his time in the SAS, was always excellent company and worked hard for the public good in Scotland. As Chief Inspector of Prisons he brought to the job a unique combination of humanity and common sense which demonstrated how an enlightened prison regime would operate in the public interest.

"I will very much miss his contribution to Scottish public life.”