Murderer gets 90 months for escape

Mar 27 2009 by Alison Anderson, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

A CONVICTED murderer was given a seven-and-a-half year prison sentence for handcuffing then chaining two Reliance security officers together in their own van during a visit to Perth Royal Infirmary last February.

George McGeoch (37) tasted freedom in Perth from around 3pm on February 19, 2008, until he was arrested by police officers in Gowans Terrace at 7.40am the following morning.

The Reliance officers, although unharmed, were shaken and upset by the incident, and both were off work for many weeks after the incident and received counselling.

The facts before, during and after McGeoch’s escape from custody were related at Perth High Court.

He pled guilty to threatening the two Reliance security officers with a metal object and threatening to strike them with it; forcing them to enter separate custody cells in a Reliance prisoner transport vehicle and forcibly detaining them against their will.

McGeoch also admitted robbing the officers of money and phones and a holdall containing various items including a sat nav system, a Playstation and games, a mask, a torch and a diary.

Advocate Depute Derek Nelson told the High Court: “The schedule of convictions confirms that the accused has a history of violent crimes.In particular, at Inverness High Court on April 7, 1999, he was convicted of murder.”

Mr Nelson outlined McGeogh’s crimes since his life imprisonment for murder. They included a conviction for abduction and assault while in prison and a 2007 conviction for serious assault on another prisoner.

At the beginning of last year, McGeogh was a prisoner at Perth and had started to receive treatment for a leg injury.

He was transferred to Dumfries Prison on February 1 and arrangements were made for Reliance to transport him to Perth for a hospital appointment on February 19.

One of the Reliance officers assigned to transport McGeogh, Craig Swindells, noted the prisoner had ‘markers’ for violence against staff, concealing weapons and being a hostage-taker.

“As a result, Mr Swindells was unhappy escorting the accused with only two officers as it was standard procedure that there should be three to deal with a prisoner with this type of history,” said Mr Nelson.

“Mr Swindells notified his supervisors and was told to continue about his duties and that a further member of staff may be available to meet them at PRI.”

But there was no third officer when the van arrived at PRI. The doctor’s appointment took just five minutes and it was when the two officers and McGeogh returned to the parked van that the prisoner made his escape.

He initially began to wheeze and complain about his asthma. Officers then saw something protruding from McGeogh’s hand which looked like two razor blades stuck together.

“The accused stated they should do exactly as he said or he would slash their jugular vein and they would bleed to death before anyone could get to them,” continued Mr Nelson.

Mr Swindells was able to free himself and the other officer but, because of the threats made to them and their genuine fear of McGeogh, they waited, as instructed, for 10-15 minutes before attempting to attract attention.

“They began shouting and banging on the van to attract help but initially it appeared that passers-by assumed that they were prisoners who were joking, as several simply smiled and walked by.”

Two police officers who spotted the officers’ plight freed them from the van and set in motion a major hunt for the escapee.

After his arrest, McGeogh was taken to Perth Police Station where he stated: “It was all for a laugh. I only held the guards up with a piece of metal from a lighter I had smuggled in with me.”

Defence lawyer Grant O’Rourke detailed McGeogh’s mental and physical health problems. He told the court: “McGeogh is not a malicious person. He did not set out to do this for a malicious reason.

“They were the actions of a relatively desperate man acting foolishly.”

Passing sentence, Lord Mathews said it was clear that the accused posed a danger to the public.