Saughton siege prisoners took hostage to demand KFC

Two violent prisoners who took another inmate hostage before demanding a bus take them to Glasgow’s Barlinnie jail have been given indeterminate prison sentences.

KFC was among the demands by the prisoners. Picture: TSPL

Andrew Kinloch and James Quinn armed themselves with home-made weapons before holding a fellow inmate captive at Edinburgh’s Saughton jail.

During the siege, Quinn issued a list of demands to prison authorities including a Kentucky Fried Chicken meal, a Chinese takeaway and tobacco. He also called for a bus to be laid on to ferry them across Central Scotland to the jail of their choice.

Kinloch, 27, and Quinn, 29, earlier admitted assaulting and abducting prisoner Jason McLaren at HMP Edinburgh on June 12, 2013.

A judge imposed orders for lifelong restriction on the pair, and warned that they would only be released when it is considered no longer necessary for the protection of the public that they be kept in prison.

Lord Uist said at the High Court in Edinburgh: “I am satisfied that each of you has been correctly assessed as being a high risk to the safety of the public at large if at liberty.”

Kinloch and Quinn armed themselves with weapons known as “double whammys” – made with razor blades melted into plastic handles – which were put to the throat of the victim.

They confined him in a cell for about five hours and repeatedly refused to release him unless their demands were met.

Kinloch was in prison after committing robberies and his co-accused has numerous convictions for violence and disorder.

Advocate depute Douglas Fairley QC said: “Quinn stated that he was doing this because he had been trying to get a transfer to another jail for six months. He stated that they wanted KFC and Chinese food, tobacco and a bus to Barlinnie.

“During the negotiations Quinn stated that he wanted to go to a west coast jail because he had not had visits for ten months.”

Kinloch also became involved and said he too wanted to be housed at a jail in the west.

The pair were cell mates at the time of the hostage-taking,

They went into McLaren’s cell claiming they had something to tell him.

They closed the door and put a bladed weapon to his neck and Quinn told him they “had to do this to get out the jail”.

They then contacted prison staff by intercom, telling them they had a hostage.

Lord Uist ordered that Kinloch serve two years and seven months before he becomes eligible to apply for parole. Quinn was ordered him to serve a minimum term of 40 months before he can seek parole.