A man has been charged with alleged vandalism at a new north-east superjail.
Warren Williamson is accused of smashing a window at HMP Grampian, just days after the £140million facility opened at Peterhead earlier this year.
The 20-year-old, of 29 Cummings Park Crescent, Aberdeen, did not appear at Peterhead Sheriff Court when his case called yesterday.
It was continued for two weeks without plea until Monday, August 18.
According to court papers, the alleged offence happened on March 26. Around the same time, staff dealt with at least three other disturbances at the jail.
On May 1, two inmates confined themselves to part of the prison’s Ellon wing and refused to move out. The prison service said staff wore body armour as a precaution as they entered negotiations.
The incident was resolved in around two hours and no one was hurt.
In another incident, a woman allegedly assaulted a member of staff in the visiting area.
And on May 14, nearly 40 prisoners barricaded themselves in a communal cellblock at the jail’s Ellon section.
The stand-off between staff and inmates lasted nearly 14 hours and only ended when officers in protective gear stormed the barricaded zone.
Earlier this month, the Press and Journal revealed that the repair bill for damage caused during the flare-up totalled nearly £150,000. The “category three” incident is still being investigated by police.
All young offenders at the jail have now been moved out to avoid further trouble. Many of the male inmates have also been transferred to different units across the country.
The jail was opened after a decade-long campaign by local politicians and residents. It replaced the old HMP Peterhead and Craiginches in Aberdeen.
