A lawyer has launched a blistering attack on prison escort firm GeoAmey for exposing staff to coronavirus and endangering their lives.
Solicitor Andy Lyall called the company a “complete disgrace” for failing to provide any protective equipment at all to its staff members.
He told Dundee Sheriff Court it was a scandal that GeoAmey staff were being forced to bring prisoners without having any PPE during the pandemic.
He said he had been in the court during a case last week when it was revealed that one of the accused believed he had coronavirus and was waiting to be tested.
“Like a number of my colleagues, I scuttled to the back of the court when I heard that,” Mr Lyall said.
“The officers were required to bring him up from the cells.
“They had him in handcuffs. They could not go anywhere or get away from that person.
“It is a source of complete disgrace that they are exposed to the virus which is prevalent in all of our prisons now.”
Mr Lyall told Sheriff Lorna Drummond: “No officer who appears in your court is supplied with PPE (personal protective equipment) and this is something that should be taken up at a higher level with their employers.”
While the government’s social distancing guidelines recommend keeping a two-metre distance from other people, the GeoAmey staff are handcuffed at close quarters to a variety of accused persons on each shift.
A GeoAmey spokesman said: “We note the comments made by the solicitor but would advise that GeoAmey has robust guidance in place which has been developed with input from science and health care professionals and sets out the correct procedure for using PPE.
“Full PPE is available to all officers and is used in line with our internal guidance which has been put in place to protect the health of our staff members and those prisoners in our care and custody.
“The fundamental role of our officers is to escort those detained in custody therefore we cannot always completely adhere with social distancing guidelines.”
