Scotland’s Johnnyboy: The Bird That Never Flew

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A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The Douglass family have had to deal with a devastating tragedy and the Justice Secretary was happy to meet with them personally to pass on his sympathy and listen to their views. John Steele was acquitted of murdering Paul “PJ” Douglass, 20, after claiming self-defence. He said PJ had a knife which he had never seen before. For Johnny, whose escape bids contributed to him being dubbed ‘one of the most punished prisoners in the history of the British penal system’, 1980s Barlinnie was a powder-keg just waiting to blow.

PJ’s mum Maureen, 53, claims the conclusion is clear. The knife was not her son’s, it belonged to Steele, and Steele brought it to the scene.

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Calls for reform grew increasing loud. A wave of prison riots across the country arrived at Barlinnie in 1987, sparking Scotland’s longest prison siege. Inmates ripped apart its Victorian halls, others climbed on the roof with five staff hostages and posters claiming brutality. Former priest Willy Slavin, Barlinnie chaplain from 1982 to 1992, also remembers walking through the same wooden door for the first time. Inside, he says, were “disgraceful” conditions.

Today Barlinnie is said to be Western Europe’s biggest single dispenser of methadone, handing out over 8700 litres every year. But he remembers an Alcoholics Anonymous request for prisoner support groups being met by stony silence. In his 2011 inspection of the prison, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons Hugh Monro noted: “Barlinnie is well led and the staff have a good understanding of what they are required to do. Staff embrace change and are not afraid to lead the way in innovative practice.” In what he says is his last interview before he reclaims the life he was denied when he battled for 20 years to clear his name, Joe Steele reveals how the brutal regime of prison life and being fitted up for the murders of six members of the Doyle family did not break him.But when he was finally freed in 2004, in a case that proved for the first time in Scotland that police “fitted up” Steele, instead of being able to celebrate his release, Steele hid a terrible secret. Today Barlinnie handles 20 per cent of Scotland’s prisoners. Even visiting time is a logistical nightmare of around 7300 visitors every month, including around 1100 children.

But Steele, 33, claimed he did not recall the stabbing. He said that if he did kill PJ, it must have been self-defence. If she says there is nowhere further to go then it becomes more serious. But I will just have to wait and see. Johnnyboy Steele is the most punished prisoner in Scottish Penal History. He was sentenced originally to 12 years for two counts of assault and robbery.Speaking exclusively to the Daily Record, Maureen said: “My son was murdered in cold blood and justice hasn’t been done.

You should never stop analysing how you have ended up where you are. Give yourself credit for what you do right. Some people end up in this life through circumstances usually beyond their control. I was born into this life, but it wasn’t me, I never liked it and, really, I wasn’t able for it. Always be true to yourself.Inside Time reserve the right to republish comments in its newspaper or in any of its other publications, however, in these cases, comments will be anonymised. I was born and grew up in the East end of Glasgow. A very industrial area with lots of factories and businesses. We all had coal fires and were living in relative poverty compared to today, but my early childhood is full of happy memories. My dad was in prison for bank robbery and me and the rest of the family were living with my grandmother, who was blind. We had great neighbours and my mum’s brothers were all musicians. We used to have evenings of music and laughter; it was a good life. And then my dad got out of prison, and everything changed. A GRIEVING mother claims this picture is proof that the thug cleared of murdering her son is a liar – and must be put on trial again. Today, Barlinnie handles 20 per cent of Scotland’s prisoners. Even visiting time is a logistical nightmare of around 7300 visitors every month, including around 1100 children.