Drug kingpin and torturer team up as notorious Scots hoods aim to keep peace among rioters

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Feared gangster Mark Richardson and psycho-killer sidekick Colin Coats have been given peacekeeping roles at the jail where they’re held after a series of riots.

Edinburgh mob boss Richardson was a lead negotiator in a prisoner council that met the governor of HMP Glenochil, near Alloa, after protests at the jail led to tense lockdowns.

He was assisted by Coats, one of Scotland’s most notorious killers, who is serving a 33-year stretch for the torture and murder of Lynda Spence, which shocked Scotland in 2013.

Cons have been furious at the frequent last-minute cancellations of jail events that get them out of their cells, caused by chronic staff shortages.

And after two protests led to a prison stand-off this month – with emergency crews on alert amid fears of a riot – Richardson presented a list of demands to governor Sharanne Findlay and deputy John Docherty.

A prison insider said the showdown allayed fears that evening visits would be cancelled. The source said: “Mark Richardson is the one that calls the shots at Glenochil and prison management know he has to be respected.

"Although he is the one man in the jail who is not to be crossed, he also carries clout as a negotiator. He has become pals with Colin Coats, who is an ultra-violent brute but also well educated and articulate.

"The same swagger that made Richardson a crime boss lends itself well to leadership roles inside the jail, which means he was nominated to be part of the prisoner council that liaises with jail governors."

They added: "Richardson believes it's good for his image in the jail that he can hold this position." It is understood the jail has been forced to cancel scores of activities, from work parties to art classes, other educational events and sessions for those in recovery.

As well as getting prisoners away from the monotony of their cells, many of them take heart from learning new skills when they are inside.

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The ongoing levels of staff sickness and failure to attract staff from other jails to fill shifts have led to a restructuring of the regime. This means a move to a core day shift and a skeleton staff in the evenings.

Some prisoners believed this would lead to evening visits being cancelled. The source said: "Prisoners have felt messed around and they aren’t getting what they are entitled to in terms of human rights.

"If the prison cancelled evening visits there would probably be a riot – but the reduction in evening staff led people to think that would be on the cards."

This month, inmates staged two protests over conditions. There were fears a full-scale riot might erupt but the issue was defused without violence.

It is understood prisoners were assured no evening visits would be cancelled and all efforts are being made to restore normal patterns for activities in daytime hours.

An Independent Prison Monitoring report for Glenochil in June found staff shortages were causing disruption. The report cited prisoners being kept in their cells for long periods during some weekends and disruptions to their access to work.

Inmates also complained about doubling up in single cells – which inspectors declared to be small doubles, barely within set
standards. And figures uncovered last year showed a 40 per cent fall in the number of purposeful activity hours at Glenochil.

The Scottish Government last week announced a second tranche of ­prisoners would get early release to ease pressure on the system. The Scottish Prison Service has been coping with more than 8300 prisoners – the highest number since 2012.

Richardson, 37, was moved to Glenochil in 2020 amid reports he was becoming too powerful in HMP Edinburgh. He quickly became top dog in his new home, aided by his reputation for violence and retribution against those who cross him.

He was jailed for eight years and nine months in 2018 for possessing a loaded Glock handgun. He was one of nine men jailed for a total of almost 90 years for his role in drugs and arms plots.

He got another 18 months over a car chase with cops through Edinburgh in 2016. Richardson was previously jailed for 10 years in 2010 for running a huge cocaine and heroin operation worth millions of pounds, with much of the activity based in the capital.

He has also been linked to various gangland shootings. Coats was jailed alongside Philip Wade for murdering Lynda, 27, over a property deal. Her body has never been found.

A trial heard they forced the financial adviser into a car in Glasgow in April 2011 before she was driven to a flat in West Kilbride in Ayrshire. She was taped to a chair and burned with an iron, struck with a golf club and had her thumb cut off.

She was then murdered and her body disposed of. Coats last year wrote a letter finally admitting to the killing. He referred to Lynda’s mother Patricia, saying: "Lynda's mother's animus towards me is to be expected, I torched and killed her daughter."

The Scottish Prison Service said: "Following protests at HMP Glenochil two weeks ago, senior leaders have engaged with those in our care to listen to their views and set out how we will continue to work to meet their needs."

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