Peterhead siege officer who was rescued by SAS dies aged 93

Jackie Stuart helped set up Peterhead Prison Museum

A former officer who was taken hostage in Peterhead Prison during a siege in 1987 has died aged 93.

Jackie Stuart - then aged 57 - was held for five days when 50 inmates took control of a hall in a protest over conditions at the jail.

The siege ended when SAS troops stormed the building.

Mr Stuart was a key figure in the setting up of the Peterhead Prison Museum which opened in 2016 and helped give tours there.

The museum said in a statement: "Jackie was instrumental in setting up the museum and has been a stalwart since we opened.

"His dedication to the museum was evident for all to see and for those lucky enough to meet him while visiting we know it was always the highlight of your experience."

'The Hate Factory'

The siege took place against a backdrop of unrest in Scottish prisons. There had been a number of disturbances and roof top protests over the previous year at other jails including Edinburgh's Saughton and Barlinnie in Glasgow.

Peterhead Prison, which was known among inmates as "The Hate Factory", already had a reputation for disturbances and there had been a riot the year before.

The prison was overcrowded and conditions were hard. The cells had no sanitation facilities, which meant inmates had to "slop out" every day, taking their waste out of their cells in the morning.

Prisoners, many of whom were from the central belt, were also angered by being placed in north-east Scotland, a long distance from friends and family.

• The prison riot that ended with the SAS

The siege in September 1987 began when 50 inmates took control of D-hall and took two officers hostage.

One of them, Bill Florence, was stabbed by a prisoner in the initial riot. He was released after a day but Mr Stuart was held for five days, repeatedly beaten, paraded on the roof 90ft (27m) above the ground, and threatened with being set on fire.

The siege ended when soldiers from the SAS force stormed the building. They used stun grenades and gas to overwhelm the remaining prisoners in an attack which lasted three minutes.

The siege lasted for several days

Mr Stuart later recalled: "I was paraded along the roof with a chair round my neck and petrol in my pockets.

"They were going to set fire to me if they didn't get something but it never came to that."

Mr Stuart had six weeks off work after the end of the siege before returning to his duties.

Paying tribute to his contribution to their work, the museum added that "our hero" was "gone but never forgotten".