A notorious inmate known as 'Superned' has been handed an additional 18-month prison sentence after being convicted of possessing homemade weapons in his cell, culminating in a bizarre courtroom demand.
Weapons Discovered During Cell Search
Richard Mullen, 34, was found guilty by a jury at Livingston Sheriff Court of having two improvised weapons in his single-occupancy cell at Addiewell Prison in West Lothian. The discovery was made on 14 July 2023 during a search by prison officers.
Officers found a piece of plastic cutlery with a razor blade melted into it and a metal rod sharpened to a point, wrapped with a shoelace. Both items were concealed under a duvet on his mattress. When confronted, Mullen told staff: "I prefer to use my fists but these are for my own protection."
Self-Defence Claim and Trial Dispute
During the trial, Mullen argued he kept the weapons for self-defence, claiming he had been "terrorised," threatened, and assaulted by other inmates. He represented himself after his solicitor was allowed to withdraw due to a disagreement over how his defence should be conducted.
Mullen questioned the nearly three-year delay in the case coming to court and told jurors he had not received a fair trial. He implored them to "order a retrial or drop the case." However, depute fiscal Kat Jagla countered that the weapons were for the "sole purpose of inflicting violence on others."
The jury took less than an hour to return majority guilty verdicts on two counts of possessing offensive weapons in prison.
A Pattern of Previous Convictions
This was not Mullen's first offence of this kind. He had previously been convicted on three separate occasions for possessing offensive weapons at Perth Prison between October 2020 and April 2021. Those incidents involved:
- A blade melted into cutlery on 18 October 2020.
- A sharpened piece of Perspex on 11 February 2021.
- An open razor blade on 10 April 2021.
For those offences, he received an 18-month sentence. He had similarly argued he faced a miscarriage of justice after sacking his solicitor.
Unusual Sentencing Moment
Following the latest guilty verdicts, Sheriff Chloe Miller sentenced Mullen to a further 18 months in prison, to run consecutively with his existing sentences. His reaction in the dock was unconventional.
After asking the sheriff, "Is that it?" Mullen turned to his custody officers and instructed them: "Take me downstairs. I want to have my dinner."
The case highlights ongoing issues with improvised weapons and violence within the prison system, as well as the complexities of self-defence claims behind bars.
