Tributes paid as warden at centre of infamous Peterhead Prison siege dies

Jackie Stuart was a well-kent face at Peterhead Prison Museum.

By Chris Cromar

September 5 2023, 7:45 pm

Jackie Stuart, pictured at Peterhead Prison museum, has died at the age of 93.

The warden who was taken hostage during the infamous Peterhead Prison siege of 1987 has died at the age of 93.

Jackie Stuart gained international fame after TV footage showed him being hauled on to the rooftop of the Aberdeenshire prison by inmates, with a hooded prisoner swinging a weapon at his head.

After being held hostage by life-serving prisoners for five days, which included being stabbed, he was dramatically rescued by the SAS in scenes that shocked the nation.

Jackie Stuart standing next to the picture of him being held hostage. — Jackie Stuart next to the picture of him whilst being held captive on the prison’s roof. Image: Jim Irvine/DC Thomson.

Having worked with some of Scotland’s most notorious criminals, Mr Stuart was instrumental in setting up the popular Peterhead Prison Museum, which opened its doors to the public in June 2016.

Described as a “hero” and a “stalwart”, he was a dedicated servant of the tourist attraction and shared his stories with many a visitor to the former HMP Peterhead as a guide.

The former prison officer also had his own seat in the admissions area, where visitors were welcomed by his cheery smile and interesting stories.

Jackie Stuart being held hostage on Peterhead Prison roof by prisoners. — The hostage of Jackie Stuart shocked the nation.

Paying tribute to Mr Stuart, the museum‘s operations manager, Alex Geddes said: “The whole team are devastated to hear the sad news about the death of Jackie and our thoughts are with his family during this time.

“Jackie has been a stalwart of the museum since its inception back in 2014 and was the driving force behind it since that time. Inspirational in so many ways and during some of our challenging times, he kept everyone’s spirits up and had a clear vision of what lay ahead.

“Visitors from across the world loved it when he was on site and for them to meet him in person after the tour was the icing on the cake.

‘Jackie will be sadly missed by all’

“His strength of character and fortitude throughout set the bar for many of us here to try and emulate, but none of us could ever quite make it. That said, Jackie was always there to encourage all our team and he was never short of coming forward to share his experiences with us, but in a pragmatic and humble way.

“Jackie will be sadly missed by all of us and his seat in the admissions area will remain as a reminder to us all of a man whose character is rare in today’s world. Until we all meet again my friend, thank you for everything you have done for us.”