Killers’ mystery deaths linked to poisoned drugs.
Three killers have died in as many weeks at the hands of what is believed to be “poisoning” by rogue heroin circulating in one of Britain’s toughest prisons.
The inmates all died at Shotts nick in Lanarkshire.
It houses some of the country’s most cold-blooded criminals, including Luke Mitchell, jailed for life in 2005 for murdering 14-year-old Jodi Jones, and notorious Jamie Bain, who is also serving life for gunning down former boxing champ Alex McKinnon in 2006.
Jail bosses are now probing whether the three deaths are linked.
An insider said: “Three deaths in just over a month is unheard of. Drug-abusing prisoners are worried they are going to be next. Some might think its good riddance.”
Joseph Kearins was the first to be found dead on November 20.
The killer, a father-of-two, was serving eight years for fatally stabbing a pal.
The 25-year-old was convicted of the culpable homicide of Jordan Maguire in Shettleston, Glasgow.
Kearins grabbed a knife and stabbed Maguire through the heart after a fight which he did not start broke out in October 2012.
The second to die was Jamie Nicol. He murdered a labourer during a street brawl in Moray.
He was jailed for a minimum of 18 years after being convicted of killing Stephen Johnston in Lesmurdie Road, Elgin, in June 2010.
The 29-year-old performed a “sickening” victory-style dance after stabbing the father-of-six during a fight between rival gangs.
He was found dead in his cell at the high security facility.
Then last week, murderer Alex Robb, 44, was found dead in almost exactly the same circumstances.
The warped killer, from Kirkcaldy, was caged in 2000 for taking part in a gruesome murder where a voluntary worker’s neck was sawn with a bread knife.
The then 31-year-old giggled in the dock after his conviction for the murder of James McArthur, 27.
Robb’s accomplice Ian Harkness, then 30, and 16-year-old David Back were also given mandatory life sentences for the ruthless killings.
Toxicology reports into the deaths have been ordered.
Our source added: “While not many people will be sorry these guys have gone, prison bosses will be tearing their hair out about how these drugs get into jails.”
Shotts, which houses more than 500 inmates, is a maximum security prison for men sentenced to four years or more.
Only last month, former governor, Ian Whitehead, admitted people will always find ways to smuggle drugs into prisons.
He made the comments after figures showed Scottish prisoners have been caught with more than 67,000 pills, 24lb of cannabis and 5.3lb of heroin since 2011.
The Shotts case is not the first time in which prisoners have been poisoned by a rogue batch of drugs.
In 2012, four inmates at HMP Forest Bank in Salford, Greater Manchester, were rushed to hospital after taking contaminated horse tranquillisers.
In 2001, two prisoners in Gloucester were put on life support machines after injecting dodgy heroin.
Last night Scottish Conservative Chief Whip John Lamont MSP said: “Any death in prison is a concern, but three in a month is worrying.
“The authorities must carry out an immediate investigation to determine the cause of these fatalities.
“The suspicion is that drugs may have been involved, and if that is proved to be case then urgent steps must be taken to tackle the supply of illegal substances in Shotts.”
A spokeswoman for the SPS said: “We await the results of all three fatal accident inquiries.”
A spokesman for Police Scotland said: “None of the deaths are being treated as suspicious.”
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