Families of Polmont suicide teens call for action from Humza Yousaf ahead of death probe

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The families of two people who took their own lives in a young offenders institution have urged Scotland’s First Minister to take action as a Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) begins into their deaths.Katie Allan, 21, and William Lindsay, 16, were found dead in their cells in separate incidents at Polmont Young Offenders Institution in 2018, and their deaths will be investigated at the inquiry starting at Falkirk Sheriff Court on Monday.In a statement outside court, the solicitor representing the families, Aamer Anwar, said both families want Humza Yousaf to work to remove Crown immunity, which means the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) is exempt from prosecution for the deaths; set up an independent body to investigate prison deaths; and impose a year’s limit for the start of an FAI.He said they also want the First Minister to hold SPS to account and ensure families get automatic legal representation at an FAI.

Mr Anwar said: “Whilst the families recognise today as a milestone in their journey for the truth, it is certainly not the end of the process.“The First Minister, Humza Yousaf, must not betray the many promises he made to these families whilst Justice Minister, he cannot escape behind a veil of silence because there is now an FAI.” Join the Daily Record's WhatsApp community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages. Ms Allan’s parents, Linda and Stuart, stood with Mr Aamer as he made a statement on their behalf that they “believe that the SPS have no accountability for the avoidable deaths of young people”, saying that while the Crown Office found “evidence to pursue a criminal prosecution against the Scottish Prison Service but Crown immunity prevents them from doing so”.He added: “They feel they