A sixth prisoner in Scotland has died from a suspected case of coronavirus.

Alex Drysdale, an inmate of HMP Perth, died yesterday (Thursday, May 15), the Scottish Prison Service confirmed.

The 65-year-old was convicted in February at Kirkaldy Sheriff Court.

The news comes after the death of George Greenshields on Thursday.

The 68-year-old was convicted in 1988 of murdering a homeless man and burning his body.

Greenshields was given a life sentence but only served 14 years after he was granted early release in 2005.

He was recalled to prison just 6 months later after pleading guilty to slitting a man’s throat in a bar fight.

Drysdale and Greenshields are the only prisoners in Scotland reported to have died from suspected coronavirus so far in May.

Last month, the deaths of four inmates of Scottish prisons were linked to the virus.

On April 10, 66-year-old serial sex offender, John Angus, was the first Scottish prisoner to die from Covid-19, while serving his sentence at HMP Edinburgh.

Francis McCarthy, 59, became the second prisoner to die in Scotland from the disease, while he was serving a sentence for murder at HMP Low Moss.

John Dargacz, 54, was also an inmate at HMP Low Moss when he died.

And 75-year-old George Pinkerton, a convicted sex offender, died while serving his sentence at HMP Dumfries.

As of yesterday, there are 21 inmates in Scottish prisons self-isolating with symptoms of Covid-19. Two are reported to have tested positive.

The Scottish Prison Service has introduced measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus in prisons, including suspending all visits, education classes, communal dining, and non-essential prison work.

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Sixth Scottish prisoner dies from suspected coronavirus