The newly released CCTV footage at HMP Edinburgh has thrown a spotlight on the events leading up to Allan Marshall's tragic death in 2015. The previously unseen video, obtained by BBC News after a lengthy and contentious legal battle, appears to contradict the official account of what transpired that fateful day.
On remand for unpaid fines and breach of the peace, Mr Marshall was being held at HMP Edinburgh when he met his untimely demise four days after a restraint incident. Initially, prison officers testified that the 30-year-old had been acting erratically and aggressively, smashing his cell and covering himself in excrement. They claimed he was being moved to a segregation unit for a shower, where they suspected he had ingested a legal high.
However, the recently released footage shows Mr Marshall walking calmly through the prison, accompanied by three guards, at around 07:25. The video, which captures the four minutes leading up to his entry into the shower room, reveals him to be clean and composed, despite officers applying what is described as a 'come along hold' – a light grip on his wrist – at various points.
The footage shows Mr Marshall leaving his cell at 07:25 and entering the shower room at 07:29. A brief gap exists in the recording due to the absence of cameras within the shower room itself. Officers subsequently entered the shower room at 07:48, marking the commencement of the restraint incident that would ultimately prove fatal.
Previous footage, already publicly available for some time, depicts Mr Marshall being dragged from the shower room face down and restrained by up to 17 officers, with several using their feet. This contrast between the two sets of images has left experts stunned and raises significant questions about the events that unfolded.
Sharon MacFadyen, Allan's aunt, who has tirelessly campaigned for justice on behalf of her nephew's family, expressed her concerns that the new footage does not align with the officers' initial accounts. She hypothesised that Mr Marshall may have inadvertently annoyed the guards by pressing his emergency buzzer multiple times overnight.
Professor Sarah Armstrong, a criminology expert from the University of Glasgow, shared her own astonishment at observing Allan's calm demeanour in the video. She noted that there is no indication he was resisting or attempting to evade the officers' grasp, nor any sign of excrement or an unpleasant odour emanating from his presence.
Following years of protracted legal proceedings and a court case brought by Mr Marshall's relatives, the Scottish government ultimately surrendered the CCTV footage. A Scottish government spokesperson has since offered an apology for the failures that contributed to Allan's tragic demise, stating that ongoing legal proceedings preclude further comment at this juncture.