Salmond accused as killer goes on the run

ALEX Salmond and his government came under fire last night for failing to inform parliament that a murderer had absconded from an open prison.

At First Minister's Questions, Mr Salmond spent 20 minutes defending the open prison estate, his government's record on absconders and the actions of his embattled justice secretary, Kenny MacAskill, after the escape of Brian Martin from Castle Huntly jail in Perthshire.

But it later emerged that Mr Salmond knew another prisoner – John Burt Brown – had absconded from Castle Huntly on Wednesday but failed to tell MSPs. The Scottish Government later admitted it was told about Brown on Wednesday evening – 18 hours before the debate in parliament.

Labour demanded an immediate apology from Mr Salmond and accused him of undermining the office of First Minister. The Tories demanded an emergency statement and said he had jeopardised the integrity of his administration.

During repeated questions about the number of absconders from Castle Huntly, Mr Salmond accused the opposition parties of having worse records on the issue than his SNP administration, while failing to mention the ongoing situation.

Mr MacAskill has been under severe pressure on the issue of runaway prisoners.

He tightened the open prison system after the case of Robert Foye, who absconded from Castle Huntly and went on to rape a 16-year-old schoolgirl while on the run.

Earlier this month, Martin, who was serving ten years for armed robbery and had a history of absconding, walked away from the prison, despite Mr MacAskill's tough new regime.

The justice secretary faced calls last week for him to resign over the issue and last night, the Tories claimed Mr Salmond's decision to withhold information about Brown's absconding had made Mr MacAskill's position even more precarious. Scottish Tory leader Annabel Goldie said: "It is absolutely staggering that when this issue was headline business in the Scottish Parliament today, the Scottish Government failed to disclose what it knew yesterday, that another serious criminal had absconded from Castle Huntly.

"This issue goes far beyond a battered justice minister on the way out.

"This secrecy raises a huge question mark over the integrity of government. How can the public have confidence in a justice system run by a government which won't even tell parliament what is happening?

"The First Minister needs to issue a statement as a matter of urgency as to how this shambles came about and, in particular, as to whether parliament was misled when he referred today specifically to the number of escapes from open prisons."

Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray said: "It is incredible to think that Alex Salmond thought it best not to inform parliament of this development. His actions do not befit the office of First Minister."

He went on: "Mr MacAskill's failure to deal with this debacle means he must go, but the First Minister is also hugely damaged by this affair.

"Alex Salmond found time in the chamber today to talk about apprenticeships but failed to mention this abscond by a murderer.

"It's completely unacceptable and he should apologise immediately."

A spokesman for the First Minister insisted Mr Salmond had been absolutely right not to mention Brown in the Scottish Parliament because it was up to police when information on absconders was released, and Tayside Police had not yet publicised the information.

He admitted Mr Salmond had known about Brown's disappearance on Wednesday night, but added: "It would be utterly extraordinary to suggest that any minister should interfere with an operational matter for Tayside Police."

The First Minister was in a belligerent mood when he was questioned by Mr Gray and Miss Goldie on the issue of the open prison estate yesterday.

"Mistakes do happen – that is obvious," he said. But he added: "It is also clear that the system is currently functioning five times better than it was under the Labour-Liberal alliance."

When Ms Goldie told him the "buck stops at Bute House", he replied by saying the number of prisoners who absconded had been eight times higher under the last Tory administration than it was last year.

But responding to five questions from Mr Gray and two from Miss Goldie on the issue, not once did the First Minister mention the latest absconder, which he had been told about the night before.

Tayside Police released an appeal for information on Brown yesterday afternoon, three hours after First Minister's Questions.

He was described as 57 years old, 5ft 5in in height, with short brown hair and green eyes. He failed to return to Castle Huntly on Wednesday after a period of leave and is known to have family and friends in the Glasgow area.

Brown was convicted at the High Court in Glasgow and sentenced to life imprisonment on 12 February, 1976, for murder. He had been released on licence for that offence but sent back to prison for traffic offences which broke the terms of his licence.

On 12 February this year, he was transferred to Castle Huntly from Shotts Prison.

A police spokesman said anyone who knew his whereabouts should contact the Tayside force on 0300 111 2222.

Salmond caught playing politics on serious issue

ANY decent political crisis depends on timing and momentum, and Kenny MacAskill has been on the wrong end of both.

Just when he thought he had tightened the open prison estate, another prisoner went on the run. This prisoner probably should not have been in an open jail, but that didn't help Mr MacAskill, who made a statement to parliament. He had hardly sat down at the end of this statement on Brian "the Hawk" Martin when another prisoner, a murderer, went on the run from the same prison.

The timing could not have been worse, and this latest escape handed the opposition continued momentum with which to pursue the embattled justice secretary.

However, until First Minister's Questions, that was all it was – pressure (intense maybe) on Mr MacAskill.

When Alex Salmond decided to go on the attack on this issue yesterday afternoon, berating his political opponents for their record on absconding prisoners, while failing to mention the latest incident, it went to an entirely new level.

Yes, there were operational reasons why Mr Salmond should not have told parliament, but he could easily have discussed the issue with the police and made sure it was in the open before he stood up.

He did no such thing. As a result, he has given the impression he has been playing politics with this serious issue.

Mr Salmond has developed a reputation for playing fast and loose with information in these weekly jousts. Yesterday, for example, he said one absconder had been "recaptured", praising the police, when actually the absconder had given himself up. A small point perhaps, but it all adds to the impression that Mr Salmond twists information when it suits him to do so.

So when it emerged that he had known about the latest incident but failed to mention it, it really appeared as if Mr Salmond had done so deliberately – not for reasons of police operational probity.

He is a strong and combative First Minister. One major weakness, however, is his overtly bullying approach to opponents. That caught up with him yesterday and, as a result, some of the authority that he carries with him as First Minister, has been rubbed off.