More prisoners claim compensation for slop-outs

MINISTERS have received a flood of fresh claims from prisoners demanding compensation for having to "slop out" their cells, it has emerged, writes Eddie Barnes.

A series of new legal challenges have been made after the landmark case at the end of last month, when the courts ruled that the practice breached a prisoner’s human rights. The man, Robert Napier, won 2,450 in compensation for the lack of night sanitation in his cell in a case which is believed to have cost the Scottish Executive up to 1m.

Now a series of cases from other prisoners who are forced to live in such conditions have been lodged.

The admission was made by Advocate-General Lynda Clark last week who confirmed that she had received "a number of new cases". Officials refused to say how many cases had been received, but it is thought that there are around 1,700 prisoners in five jails in Scotland who are currently forced to ’slop out’ in communal toilet blocks.