Killer of Cork nurse involved in four-hour riot over mail in Scottish prison

Evil killer Alexander Pacteau who was jailed for murdering Irish nurse Karen Buckley (24) in Glasgow in April 2015 was among a number of prisoners who participated in a riot over mail.

Glasgow Caledonian University student Karen was beaten to death by Pacteau with a spanner before he tried to dispose of her body in plastic barrel full of acid.

The violence kicked off as prisoners protested of not receiving mail into the prison, The Daily Record reports.

Kilmarnock Sheriff Court heard the mayhem began when around 40 prisoners refused to lock up in their cells for the evening.

Officers in riot gear had be deployed with the situation not being resolved until 10.20pm.

Inmates Lee McLelland and Nicholas Depellette admitted threatening behaviour while Pacteau’s plea of not guilty was accepted by the court.

The killer did not appear in court due to an illness.

It was heard McLelland threw pieces of ceramics at guards, was using a weighted item in a sock as a weapon, attacked an ATM and CCTV camera and threw liquid over officers.

A prosecutor told the court: “They (prisoners) advised they were conducting a peaceful protest due to not receiving mail.

"Their behaviour began to deteriorate and prison officers retreated to the central hub, locking the central gates, in effect giving control of the wing over to the prisoners.

"It took 50 prison officers to resolve the situation, including some who returned to duty on days off. Nicholas Depellette was seen on CCTV at 9.48pm approaching prison officers, shouting and acting aggressively towards them.

"At the end of the incident he was throwing broken pieces of a sink at prison staff and he refused to enter his cell when asked to do so."

On sentencing McLelland for 21 months, a judge said: “There's every kind of offence one can think of, and your behaviour on this occasion was absolutely dreadful.”