Officers have launched an investigation after six cars were set on fire outside of a West Lothian prison on the evening of Saturday January 7.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) rushed to the scene of the fire at HMP Addiewell after the cars were torched in the car park at around 10:15pm. Those looking into the incident say that the vehicles belonged to the prison officers who were on night shift.
Police say that the car windows were broken before the cars were set ablaze. Firefighters extinguished the fire before officers looked into the event.
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The car park was seen to be blocked off by tape on Sunday morning as the burnt out motors were snapped at the scene.
A source told the Daily Record : "A number of cars were set on fire last night at Addiewell Prison and two cars had their windows smashed in.
"All of the cars belonged to prison officers who were doing the night shift. Police have taped the car park off this morning."
Six years ago in the summer of 2016, masked criminals targeted prison guard vehicles by using petrol bombs at Addiewell. A BMW, a Vauxhall Antara 4x4, a Mini, a Citroen C3 and another car were targeted in the jail’s car park.
Three suspects, who wore balaclavas, set fire to three of the cars and damaged the other two while a fourth person waited in a getaway car. Police later found a stolen blue Range Rover Evoque - used as the getaway car - burnt-out and dumped 20 miles away in Harvester Way, Edinburgh.
In August 2021 a whistleblower told the Record prison guards routinely turn a blind eye to illegal activities inside crisis-hit Addiewell prison. It came after shocking images emerged of an inmate kissing a warder at the jail.
In January last year we told how organised crime gang members were offering prison officers up to £3,000 to smuggle iPhones into the jail. The sum is the equivalent of almost two months' wages and 30 times the price of some second-hand devices.
Meanwhile, in April two prison officers were attacked by an inmate in the Douglas A wing of the private jail. It’s understood both were punched in a flare-up with an unnamed prisoner.
No-one was injured as a result of the incident on Saturday night. Cops have confirmed they are treating the fires as wilful and enquiries are ongoing.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Police received report of six cars on fire in the car park at HMP Addiewell in West Lothian around 10.15pm on Saturday, 7 January, 2023.
“The fires were extinguished by Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and no-one was injured.
“The fires are being treated as wilful and enquiries are ongoing.”
A spokesperson for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said: "We took the call from Police Scotland at 10.22pm on Saturday, January 7, to reports of a number of cars alight within the car park at Addiewell Prison.
"We sent three appliances to the scene and left around 12am assuring the area was made safe. There were no reported casualties."
The Scottish Prison Service was contacted for comment.
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