By Graeme Strachan

SHOTGUN AND axe killer Robert Mone, from Dundee, one of Scotland’s longest- serving prisoners, is undergoing a rehabilitation course ahead of possible parole.

Once described as the most dangerous man in Scotland, Mone—who has changed his name to James Smith—has been participating in a violence management programme at Shotts Prison, designed to identify the reasons why he used violence and reduce and monitor these factors.

A spokesman for the Scottish Prison Service said there were certain requirements that any long-term prisoner must meet to prepare for possible release.

It is understood the course is vital if he is to have any chance of winning his freedom.

“Any prisoner’s participation in the violence programme is part of his ongoing sentence management,” the spokesman said. “Any long-term prisoner would go through a similar rehabilitation course.”

The course at Shotts is a series of lectures, discussions and interviews with psychiatrists. As well as reducing risk, programmes support risk assessment and the risk management of offenders.

For any release of any prisoner serving life, a decision would be made by the parole board, not the Scottish Prison Service.

When a prisoner’s punishment tariff has been served, they are eligible to be considered for release. It is the job of the prison service to address the issues relevant to the assessment of the individual prisoner by the parole board that have not already been met or work to fortify what has been done at an early stage.

Mone (56) was jailed for the rest of his natural life in 1977 after brutally killing a policeman with an axe. However, new rules under European human rights legislation meant Mone’s sentence was set at a minimum of 25 years from 1977 and he can now be considered for release.

The Parole and Life Sentences Review Branch would have to be convinced that the double killer is no longer a threat and they could keep him behind bars if they believe he is still a risk.

Mone was sent to the State Hospital at Carstairs for shooting dead pregnant Dundee teacher Nanette Hanson in front of her young pupils in 1967.

In 1976 he escaped with fellow inmate Thomas McCulloch and embarked on a murderous rampage. Mone killed PC George Taylor with an axe while McCulloch killed a male nurse and a patient.

For his part in the bloodbath, Mone was deemed a risk to national security and jailed for life. He served most of his sentence at Perth before being transferred to Shotts and Porterfield, Inverness.

Much of Mone’s sentence was served as a category A prisoner, meaning the authorities had every reason to believe he would place national security at risk, was highly dangerous to the public or prison staff or their families, or to the police in the event of an escape.

The category also meant he had to be kept in conditions of maximum security.

While in Perth, the axe and shotgun killer complained that, because of his A category, one way the authorities were able to keep him subdued was by turning him into a junkie on a diet of soporific drugs.

Mone’s category A was later reduced to B, meaning he was still regarded as a risk but much lower than a risk to national security.