A grieving family are pleading for a crackdown on criminals ‘trolling’ from behind bars after a series of ‘sickening’ videos are said to have emerged on TikTok.
The mother and sisters of Stephen Quigley, who was stabbed in Barrhead in 2021, are calling for a new law to be introduced to prevent prisoners from ‘gloating’.
It comes after a series of videos were reportedly filmed inside HMP Addiewell, a maximum-security prison in West Lothian, the Daily Record reports.
Katie Quigley, Stephen’s mum, told of her pain as she watched Ben McCulloch, who pleaded guilty to culpable homicide following Mr Quigley’s death, ‘party with other prisoners’ in a video posted to TikTok.
Ms Quigley, along with her daughters Catrina, 33, and Margaret, 37, is hoping for a crackdown on ‘toxic masculinity’ and ‘macho lawlessness’ that she claims the Scottish Prison Service is ‘unable to control’.
She said: “I cannot put it into words just how hurtful it was to see this man’s face on a photo, with a caption on it referring to the death of my son and the fact his killer is doing ‘easy time’.”
Ms Quigley, who is from Neilston, told the Record she would like Scottish Government ministers to pass a specific law that ensures extra time behind bars for any prisoner caught using a mobile phone to create video content that causes distress for victims’ families.
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She added: “Is it too much to ask for prisons to stop these gangsters reminding the families of all the people they have killed or victimised that they are running the jails?
“It just breaks my heart to think of the lack of remorse that is evident in every one of those videos.”
Stephen’s sister, Catrina, says the family has been ‘forced to endure a life sentence’ after their loss five years ago.
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A Scottish Prison Service 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, from 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."
McCulloch, now 31, was jailed for nine and a half years following Stephen’s death.
We previously told how McCulloch turned on Mr Quigley at his home in Barrhead on March 23, 2021.
He struck Mr Quigley on the head with a knife. McCulloch, despite being disqualified, then drove his friend to a closed section of the Royal Alexandra Hospital, six minutes from the accident and emergency department.
Mr Quigley tried to walk to A&E but was found dead outside a daytime ward the following morning.
McCulloch claimed to have dropped Mr Quigley a distance from A&E as he did not want to give details of how he came about his injuries.
In September 2022, the High Court in Glasgow heard that the deceased would have survived if he had received immediate medical treatment.
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