Murrell begins sentence at HMP Dumfries
Disgraced former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell has started serving his five-year prison sentence at HMP Dumfries, a facility described by inspectors as 'Scotland's safest' prison. Murrell, 61, was jailed for more than five years after pleading guilty to embezzling £400,000 from the SNP over a 12-year period. He spent the money on luxury items including cars, coffee machines, jewellery, cosmetics, gardening equipment, and a £24,000 pen collection.
Murrell was originally remanded at Edinburgh's Saughton prison last month but was swiftly moved to Dumfries, where he is expected to remain for the duration of his sentence. The prison holds up to 135 long-term and short-term male inmates who require separation from mainstream prisoners due to the nature of their offences, classified as 'offence related protection prisoners'.
Notorious inmates at HMP Dumfries
Among the most notorious inmates at HMP Dumfries is race hate killer Zeeshan 'Crazy' Shahid, who is serving 23 years for his role in the barbaric murder of 15-year-old Glasgow schoolboy Kriss Donald. Shahid was part of a gang led by his sibling Imran 'Baldy' Shahid. In 2022, he was reported to be running a high-value drugs operation behind bars alongside another inmate, Brian Kimmet.
Brian Kimmet, from Possil, Glasgow, was jailed for ten years in 2018 for rape, abduction, and attacks against several women during a reign of terror. Another high-profile inmate is Scottish actor Kevin Guthrie, known for starring in Sunshine on Leith and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. Guthrie was sentenced to three years in 2021 for sexually assaulting a woman at a party in Glasgow in 2017. He was placed in HMP Dumfries due to his celebrity status, but an appeal court reduced his term to two years, leading to his early release.
Other notable prisoners and incidents
HMP Dumfries has also housed Catholic priest Francis Moore, who abused three children over more than 20 years and was jailed for eight years in 2018. Moore, 82, died of Covid-19 during an outbreak at the prison. Ex-RAF serviceman Gordon Pinkerton, convicted of abusing six young girls over almost 50 years, was jailed for 15 years in 2013 and also died from Covid-19 while serving his sentence at Dumfries.
A previous report by HM Inspectorate of Prisons described the jail as a 'safe prison, if not the safest in Scotland'. The Scottish Prison Service states that the facility provides a national mainstream setting for inmates requiring separation due to their offences. Murrell's placement there underscores the high-security nature of his incarceration, despite the prison's reputation for safety.
