Three prisoners killed child abduction suspect in cell attack

Three prisoners who killed a child abduction suspect have been sentenced to a total of almost 19 years.

Craig Derrick, 31, Brian Laing, 27, and David Till, 33, attacked Darren Brownlie in a cell in HMP Low Moss on January 6 this year.

The 47 year-old, who was awaiting trial for attempting to abduct a six-year-old boy from a car, was kicked and punched during a 66-second assault.

Brownlie had also been accused of ripping off other inmates by swapping prescription drugs for legal highs.

A judge heard how it took five hours for him to get medical help, but he died due to a ruptured spleen as well as having broken ribs.

The attackers were sentenced on Thursday at the High Court in Glasgow having all earlier admitted to a charge of culpable homicide.

Laing and Till were each sentenced to six years and nine months. Derrick was handed a six year term.

All three will be monitored for a further two years on their release.

Lord Matthews said: “Plainly this was an attack that was planned with all three of you knowing what was to be done.”

The judge said the death will be the subject of a fatal accident inquiry and that Brownlie’s family “will undoubtedly have a large amount of questions” into the circumstances.

The court earlier heard how Brownlie had been summoned to Derrick’s cell and attacked.

Prosecutor Paul Kearney said: “He had a number of injuries to his face and was bleeding heavily from his nose.

“He was examined by a nurse who suspected he had broken ribs.”

An ambulance was called for at 5.28pm, but it was not until 10.13pm that paramedics arrived to treat an unresponsive Brownlie.

An accident and emergency consultant later concluded that had Brownlie received treatment and then surgery on time “in all probability” he would have lived.

The court was told the attackers had not meant for Brownlie to have died.

Brownlie’s family earlier this week described his death as “torturous” and that there had been a “combined failure by all services” who had a “duty of care” towards him.