Heartbreaking final words of student, 21, who took her own life after prison bullying revealed in letter to parents
THE heartbreaking final words of a young woman who took her own life while serving time in prison have been revealed.
Katie Allan was just 21 years old when she died in custody after experiencing harrowing bullying.
The student penned an emotional letter to her beloved parents, Linda and Stuart, which was the last correspondence she had with them.
The note was discovered after her death at Polmont Young Offenders Institution in 2018, as reported by the Sunday Mail.
The letter read: “Dear Mum and Dad I’m really sorry it had to end this way but I just couldn’t go on.
“I’m so sorry I failed you both as a daughter and Scott as a sister. I’m just not made for prison at all and could no longer deal with all the hurtful things that were getting said.
“I loved you both with all my heart but to be honest the thing that scared me the most was coming home. I’ve made some seriously poor choices in my life.”
Katie, from Clarkston, Renfrewshire, was jailed for 16 months in March 2018 after being convicted for dangerous driving while over the limit.
A 15-year-old boy was hurt in the incident.
The nick is in the spotlight amid an ongoing Fatal Accident Inquiry following Katie’s death and the suicide of another inmate, 16-year-old William Lindsay.
Katie had been bullied by other prisoners, leading to her struggling to sleep, developing alopecia and her mental health spiralled.
Just weeks before her death, she had told her parents in another letter as she feared for her safety in the nick.
Katie wrote that she had spoken to officers about issues she was having and mentioned that she was “fed up with this place and the people in it”.
The former Glasgow University geography student added: “Don’t see why people need to be so cruel Mum.”
Linda said: “She was frightened of coming home, so deep was her remorse.
“We had been so desperate to read this letter, hoping against hope that it would give us answers. It did.”
She added: “Katie could no longer cope with the brutality of Polmont. Katie had made a fatal decision.
“She broke the law. That one decision cost Katie her life.”
Linda and Allen are being represented by the solicitor Aamer Anwar.
He has called on First Minister Humza Yousaf to take action to allow the Scottish Prison Service to be prosecuted following the tragic deaths.
Writing to Mr Yousaf, he said: “You have had more than enough time, over five years to act on the loss of life at Polmont and other Scottish Prisons, firstly as Cabinet Secretary for Justice and now for over 10 months as First Minister.
“The families also note that over the last 10 months you have not shied away on raising matters that may either be reserved to Westminster or cause conflict with Westminster.”
As it stands, the SPS has Crown immunity from prosecution under the Health and Safety Act.
Linda told the inquiry that during a visit in June 2018 Katie appeared “absolutely exhausted” and that she wanted to be moved cells following a large fight.
The inquiry also heard that officers in Katie’s hall were not even aware of her history of self-harming.