A former Perth prisoner who staged a six-hour protest in the rafters of the city jail has been given an unpaid work order which should “challenge” him and his behaviour.
Graham Evans, 43, complained he was “starving” after being offered a fish meal every second day.
He was on a Kosher diet but does not like fish so in protest, clambered up into the roof space of the jail’s B-hall after feeling he was not being listened to by prison staff.
He stayed there throughout the night, throwing chunks of plasterboard onto the floor, causing hundreds of pounds worth of damage.
Negotiators were called to talk Evans down, while other inmates were secured in their cells.
Out of trouble since 2019
Evans appeared at Perth Sheriff Court, having admitted taking part in the demonstration earlier this year.
Defence solicitor Paul Ralph, in mitigation for Evans, said: “There is a report available.
“There is a suggestion in it he might be suitable for a non-custodial sentence, which might challenge him.”
Sheriff Gillian Wade agreed, sentencing Evans to unpaid work and one-and-a-half year’s supervision.
She said: “I have given consideration to your report.
“This (offence) is at the threshold of a custodial sentence but you have been out of trouble now since 2019.
“I do think it would be beneficial for you to take part in a community-based order.
“You will be required to undertake unpaid work.”
Evans, of Queensferry Road, Rosyth, was sentenced to 150 hours unpaid work to be completed within the next twelve months.
Provisions and a bottle of juice
The former inmate had gone to trial over the incident, admitting his guilt part-way through.
Perth Prison officer Annette McGarvie said she was called at home to help with negotiations.
“The roof at B-hall is quite high and I could see him sitting on one of the crossbars,” she told the court.
“He was picking at a hole in the plaster of the ceiling and it fell away.”
Ms McGarvie, 42, added: “He just kept picking at it.
“He made a hole in the ceiling and it was getting significantly bigger.”
She said: “He had taken a bag of provisions with him and he had a big bottle of juice.
“I wondered if he would need to come down and use the toilet but he didn’t.”
‘He doesn’t like fish’
Asked why Evans was up in the rafters, Ms McGarvie said: “It was to do with his Kosher diet.
“He had been served a lot of fish, and he doesn’t like fish.
“And he didn’t like the way that his complaints had been dealt with.”
The court heard the Scottish Prison Service spent nearly £400 repairing the damage.
More cash was spent installing “climbing restrictors” to prevent other inmates from trying the same thing.
