Fife murderer John Blake will spend more time behind bars after he was repeatedly caught using contraband SIM cards with his prison-issued mobile phone.
Blake was jailed in 2009 for the brutal knifing of 25-year-old Sean Stark outside his home in Lochgelly.
He attacked the father-of-two with a kitchen knife and left him bleeding to death in the middle of the street.
Blake was handed a life sentence following a trial at Aberdeen High Court and was told he would not be eligible for parole until 2026.
The 30-year-old has had another nine months added to his sentence after he admitted having a series of illicit SIM cards at HMP Perth.
It is his eighth conviction for having a communication device behind bars.
Appearing at Perth Sheriff Court, the 36-year-old killer showed enthusiasm for the recently-announced plan to replace authorised mobiles with landline phones in cells.
“It’s much better,” he told Sheriff Alison McKay.
Reception problem
Blake pled guilty to having the cards on July 29 and August 12 2022 and again on April 11 and May 5 this year.
Asked to confirm his plea, he said: “I can’t remember that last one but if they said I’ve done it, I’ve done it.”
His not guilty plea to having a handmade weapon – allegedly a padlock in a sock – was accepted.
Fiscal depute Stuart Hamilton said the items were all recovered during routine searches.
He said in each case Blake’s prison-issued phones – distributed to all Scottish prisoners during the 2020 Covid lockdown – were found to have been tampered with.
Blake was moved to Perth after he was attacked by two other prisoners at HMP Glenochil.
He was stamped on, stabbed and beaten with a pool cue leaving him with a collapsed lung and neck injuries.
Self-change plan
Solicitor Amy Allan, defending, said: “He appreciates the only option is a custodial sentence – he is under no illusions about that.
“Mr Blake was having connection issues with his prison-issued SIM card.
“It’s something that he had been having trouble with for some time.
“He sought the ability to speak with his loved ones in a fashion he knows he ought not to have done.”
Blake is waiting for a place on a “self-change” programme, the court heard.
Ms Allan said: “In terms of this kind of offending, that should not be an issue any further.
“The system for telephones has changed, moving to a more household-style line.
“He is now able to stay in regular contact with his mother and other members of the family.”
Sheriff McKay told Blake: “Clearly given your previous convictions and your determination to have illicit items in your possession – as if the rules don’t apply to you – custody is the only option available.”
She confirmed the nine-month sentence will run consecutively to his current jail time.
For more local court content visit our dedicated page, or join us on Facebook.
