Man jailed for Newton Mearns post office raid died weeks before release

Kevin Sloan (31) lost his life at Castle Huntly open prison in Perthshire on February 27, 2016, after taking a combination of heroin and a class B substance called AKB48 N-(5-hydroxypenty).

In a written judgement published this week following a Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI), Sheriff Pino Di Emidio concluded prison staff could not have done anything to prevent his death.

The FAI had previously heard that Sloan had been serving an eight-year-sentence for armed robbery.

He was due for release on parole the month following his death.

Sloan, of Paisley, was convicted at the High Court in Edinburgh in July 2012 after pleading guilty to assault, robbery and firearms charges.

Acting with another man, he burst into a post office at a branch of RS McColl in Newton Mearns in November 2011 and threatened the postmistress with a shotgun.

After blasting open a locked door to the secure area where the post office was located, the pair made off with more than £5000.

However, Sloan was caught after leaving his photo ID driving licence, a rental agreement, and a mask which had his DNA and the shotgun reside, in the getaway van which the men had later abandoned.

The court was told that Sloan had agreed to carry out the robbery to clear a drugs debt.

In his written judgement, Sheriff Pino Di Emidio stated that he was satisfied that there was regular drug testing and searching of the deceased and of his physical environment in Castle Huntly in accordance with established policies.

The Sheriff also noted: “The objectives of SPS (Scottish Prison Service) for its Open Estate were not conducive to rigorous control designed to prevent illicit drugs from entering the prison. These objectives include seeking to provide prisoners who are nearing their liberation with the skills, experiences and qualifications required to function in society.

“As was submitted on behalf of SPS, Castle Huntly does not function with the levels of security applied in a closed prison.”

He concluded: “On the evidence available to me, there were no reasonable precautions that could have been taken that might realistically prevent other deaths in similar circumstances.”

Sheriiff Pino Di Emidio offered his condolences to the family of Sloan.