Illegally-filmed videos show prisoners partying and taking drugs in jail

The Scottish Prison Service have said it is doing all it can to stop the illegal use of mobile phones after videos emerged of prisoners partying and appearing to take drugs at a maximum security jail.

Illegally-filmed videos showing inmates behind bars have been posted on TikTok. One of the clips shows a prisoner saying: "Who said life in jail was hard?"

Mobile phones are banned in jails and their use can lead to disciplinary action or prosecution.

As first reported by the Daily Record, the clips appear to have been recorded inside Scotland's only privately-run jail, HMP Addiewell in West Lothian.

Clips posted on social media show inmates dancing and rapping. Others show inmates who appear to be under the influence of drugs.

Another features inmates taking drugs while watching last month's Old Firm football match.

One of the prisoners in the videos is Ben McCulloch, who is serving a nine-and-a-half year sentence after he was convicted of killing his friend Stephen Quigley in March 2021.

The jail is operated by Addiewell Prisons Ltd, with its management and operation subcontracted to Sodexo Justice Services.

Addiewell can hold just short of 800 prisoners and accommodates convicted adult male prisoners and men on remand.

Sodexo Justice's website said it aims to "change lives for the better by operating safe, decent and secure prisons".

The main contract for the prison is between Addiewell Prisons Ltd and the Scottish Prison Service (SPS).

The SPS has been installing grilles on cell block windows at its prisons to prevent drones being used to smuggle in contraband, including phones, drugs and weapons.

A prison official told BBC Scotland News an iPhone can be worth £5,000 behind bars.

In response to the TikTok videos, an SPS spokesperson said: "We understand the lasting impact this kind of offending has on families and the significant distress such videos can cause.

"Our staff work hard to keep prisons safe and secure, using all available technology and intelligence to prevent illicit items, including mobile phones, entering our establishments.

"While we do not comment on individuals, we continue to work with Police Scotland, and other partners, to take action against those who attempt to breach our security."

An HMP Addiewell spokesperson said: "We constantly review our practices and deploy a range of tactics to prevent such items from being introduced.

"We take these matters extremely seriously. Any individual found in possession of illicit items is immediately reported to the relevant authorities, with appropriate action taken."