A convicted killer who wanted revenge on a prison officer who he believed had left him to die was caught on tape by police plotting a gun attack from his cell.
Robert Paterson, serving a life sentence for shooting a man dead, claimed he had taken an overdose at HMP Edinburgh on November 15, 2022 after he had swallowed bags of cocaine.
Paterson had demanded an ambulance. But a judge at Edinburgh’s High Court heard the guard grew suspicious after seeing the prisoner, who had tried to escape during a hospital visit before, remove a sim card from a phone and swallow it.
The 45-year-old inmate became furious after being kept in jail rather than being taken to hospital and hatched a plot to get a gun and ammunition.
The story emerged as Paterson pleaded guilty to a string of charges including the plan to seriously harm the prison officer.
Lord Harrower was told the prisoner’s behaviour had already set the alarm bells ringing and when an ambulance turned up at the jail unannounced, a decision was made to monitor Paterson in his cell until the morning.
He was eventually taken to the capital’s Royal Infirmary where doctors found seven bags of cocaine in his stomach.
Prosecutor Alan Cameron KC told the court: ‘He [Paterson] was extremely unhappy about the delay in him being sent to hospital and subsequently made a complaint about the prison authorities in which he claimed that he had been told at hospital that he was lucky to be alive.
‘He also formed a personal animus towards the officer whom he blamed for the delay in him being sent to hospital.
‘Ultimately, he decided that he would seek revenge upon the officer by having him seriously assaulted.
‘To advance this plan he made contact with people both within and outside the prison – the latter by means of non prison issue mobile telephones which he possessed.’
The court heard that prison officials became increasingly concerned about Paterson’s behaviour and in February 2023 police started bugging his cell.
Mr Cameron added: ‘Over that period Paterson repeatedly made reference to the man “who left me to die” and made it clear that he did not intend to let the matter lie. He spoke to several people abut different aspects of his plan.
‘Much of the discussion centred around a handgun to which he could provide access and the need to find the right size of ammunition for that gun.
‘He identified an individual who said that they were willing to assault the officer for him and discussed with that individual the requirement for a vehicle and a driver to assist him.
‘On one occasion he was heard to say that he identified someone to do the staff member.
‘Fortunately, the police intervened and no attempt was actually made to assault the officer who was entirely unaware for the matter until told about it by Scottish Prison Service staff and police.’
Mr Cameron told the court yesterday that the roles of Paterson’s co-accused, Donald Stone and Sean McGregor, were picked up during the time police were bugging his cell.
The prisoner agreed to buy drugs from a raid to a cannabis farm while there was also a plot to rob a property with ‘several kilograms of cannabis and cocaine’ and ‘five high value watches’.
Although the robbery did not go ahead, the men were later arrested.
Paterson pleaded guilty to a charge which stated that between January 28, 2023 and February 14, 2023, he directed McGregor and Stone and ‘others’ to supply drugs into HMP Edinburgh.
He also directed the pair and others to ‘rob others of controlled drugs, watches, and a sum of money’.
Paterson admitted directing ‘others’ to assault the prison officer and for ‘that purpose’ obtain a handgun, ammunition and a vehicle.
Stone pleaded guilty to being involved in serious organised crime and ‘did agree with others to do something you knew or suspected or ought reasonably to have known or suspected would enable or further the commission of serious organised crime’. He was going to supply drugs into HMP Edinburgh.
McGregor admitted to a charge of arranging to carry out an ‘assault and robbery of drugs from others’ and he was going to pass on the address of the property in order ‘to facilitate’ the robbery.
Paterson was given life for shooting dead a man in Cumbernauld, Lanarkshire, in 2008 and in 2012 had another three years added to his sentence amid the foiled escape plan.
Lord Harrower deferred sentence on the men until May 30 calling for background reports.
Defence advocates Thomas Ross KC, John Scullion KC and Michael Anderson KC will address the court with their mitigations on that date.
Following the hearing, a Scottish Prison Service spokesman said: ‘We welcome these convictions and are grateful to all who worked so hard to secure them.
‘The safety of our staff is absolutely paramount, and we will always to work closely with partners across the justice sector to ensure this continues to be a key priority.’