Castle Huntly staff could not have done more to prevent the sudden death of a sick prisoner, a fatal accident inquiry has ruled.
Armed robber John Glancy collapsed while working in the grounds of the Perthshire prison in January.
An NHS Tayside nurse, who was working at the facility that day, ran to his aid and battled in vain to revive him using CPR. Paramedics were also called to the scene, but could not save him.
An inquiry into the 52-year-old’s death was held at Perth Sheriff Court and heard that, about an hour before he was declared dead, Mr Glancy fell ill. Witnesses said he turned pale and complained of chest pains.
In his findings, Sheriff Christopher Shead said that Mr Glancy died of a massive heart attack. He said there were “no reasonable precautions whereby the death might have been avoided” and that there was “no defect in any system of working which contributed to his death”.
Mr Glancy had been serving a six-year sentence since 2012 for assault and robbery.
He had not long been released from prison when he joined accomplices on a raid at a Co-op store in Renfrewshire, armed with poles and a knife.
A post-mortem report concluded: “Taking all the findings together, particularly in view of the circumstances of his collapse occurring suddenly whilst working and after complaining of chest pains, death is attributed to atherosclerotic artery disease.”