Donna Marie Brand, who was serving a life sentence for the 1996 murder of 14-year-old Caroline Glachan, died in custody at HMP Stirling in August this year. Prison logs now show that a form of sleep apnoea was a factor in her death.
Death in Custody
Brand, 47, was part of a gang that attacked Caroline, hit her with rocks and left her to die in the River Leven at Renton, Dunbartonshire. She was found guilty in 2023 alongside Robert O'Brien and Andrew Kelly following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow.
Her death certificate, logged by prison chiefs, lists three health conditions: respiratory failure, progressive lung condition COPD, and obstructive sleep apnoea with Cor Pulmonale, where chronic nocturnal breathing pauses lead to enlargement and failure of the right side of the heart.
Prison Service Response
The Scottish Prison Service said the circumstances of the "tragedy" would be fully probed. A spokeswoman said: "Every death, whether in prison custody or in our communities, is a tragedy for all those who knew and supported the individual. Following the death of someone in our care, Police Scotland are advised, and the matter reported to the Procurator Fiscal. Fatal Accident Inquiries are held in due course."
Brand's death came after a memorial service was held for her inside the jail last month, which staff were made to organise. More than 20 people attended, including Brand's family members and prisoners. Staff claimed the treatment given to the murderer was "extraordinary" given the nature of her crime.
Background of the Murder
Caroline's mother, Margaret McKeich, said she did not wish to comment on Brand's death but was troubled that her daughter's killer did not serve the sentence handed out. She said: "I don't have feelings for her. She doesn't live in my head."
Initial investigations at the time of Caroline's death were bungled, with vital evidence not given proper priority until the cold case team took another look. Jurors heard that the trio arranged to meet Caroline near a bridge by the River Leven on August 25, 1996. She was punched and kicked and had bricks thrown at her, and her body was discovered in the river later that day.
Brand had "threatened to batter" Caroline after finding out that O'Brien was seeing both of them. At sentencing, the judge said Brand played no active part in the assault but shared responsibility because she abandoned the teenager in the river. O'Brien was jailed for life with a minimum term of 22 years, and Kelly for 18 years. When Brand appealed her sentence, judge Lord Carloway said: "It is not possible to categorise the punishment part as excessive for what was an evil, concerted crime."
