A man was rushed to hospital after collapsing in a Tayside prison.
Darrell Smith, 39, formerly of Lochee, was found unresponsive in his cell at Perth Prison last Monday and rushed to Perth Royal Infirmary.
His family say he had to be brought back to life twice while in his cell and again a third time in the back of an ambulance as paramedics rushed him to Perth Royal Infirmary.
The father-of-one was placed on a ventilator to help him breathe and although he was eventually able to come off the machine, there are fears his brain may have been starved of oxygen for too long for him to fully recover.
His brother Scott Whyte, 36, said: “Darrell was found in his prison cell but we don’t know how long he had been lying there.
“He was brought back to life and they thought he was possibly brain dead as he may not have had enough oxygen going to the brain.”
Darrell had been 10 days into a two month sentence when he suffered the medical episode.
He was convicted at Dundee Sheriff Court on May 6 after committing theft by shoplifting.
A scan conducted on Friday suggested that Darrell still had a good response in his brain but if Darrell pulls through, Scott, of Blairgowrie, is unsure what his brother’s life quality will be like in the future.
He said: “Darrell died twice in prison and then once again on the way to hospital. He’s still breathing, but there’s very little sign of movement. He’s opening his eyes, but there’s nothing there.”
And Scott isn’t happy at the way the incident has been handled.
He said: “We’ve got the G4S guys actually sitting in the ward, but it’s not like he’s going anywhere. I know they’re just doing their job, but they don’t need to be in the ward with us.
“We also believe Darrell was in a cell alone, but he suffers from epilepsy, so I don’t understand why they didn’t pair him up. I don’t want anyone else to have to go through this. There should have been someone in with him, or checking on him.”
A Scottish Prison Service spokeswoman said the service does not comment on individual prisoners but added: “When a prisoner enters prison we complete a health assessment. If the prisoner is assessed as having a health problem, we prescribe a suitable plan. All prisoners are seen by a doctor within 24 hours of admission.”
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