Behind bars again

Jan 11 2013 by Ross Dunn, Irvine Herald

A prisoner claimed he went on the run after being freed for Christmas - because prison chiefs were not nice enough to him.

Irvine’s Raymond Byrne failed to return to Castle Huntly prison, near Dundee, after getting temporary festive home leave. Byrne (47), told Perth Sheriff Court he decided to stay away because of the way he’d been treated by prison management. He said they had denied him the chance to go home to visit his mum just before she died and had refused to let him out to attend her funeral a year ago.

He claimed that, with the anniversary of her death at the weekend, he decided to go AWOL. Byrne was serving a 54-month sentence for assault to severe injury. In all, 108 inmates got home for Christmas.