Scottish Killer Calls Prison ‘Easy’: Dies from Drug Overdose Behind Bars

Brendan Reilly, aged 34, was found lifeless in his cell at HMP Kilmarnock.

Brendan Reilly, a convict who previously described prison as easy, succumbed to a drug overdose while incarcerated, according to a judicial finding. Reilly, 34, was found unresponsive in his cell at HMP Kilmarnock.

During a routine morning roll call, guards called out his name but received no reply. They returned to his cell later to find him unresponsive and immediately sounded the alarm, although he could not be revived and was declared dead in June 2021.

An autopsy later determined that Reilly died from intoxication due to etizolam and had also ingested an opioid. A fatal accident inquiry held at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court concluded that no preventive measures could have been taken to avert his death.

Sheriff Nicola Patrick noted that although the prison’s morning roll call procedures were not adhered to on the day of Reilly’s death, this did not directly contribute to his demise.

The procedures require that officers receive a verbal response from inmates during roll calls, but Reilly did not respond and the officers moved on before eventually discovering him deceased.

The inquiry also revealed that there was no direct communication line between the Scottish Ambulance Service and the prison at the time of the incident, a situation that Sheriff Patrick urged to be rectified urgently.

In her written judgment, Sheriff Patrick stated: “Mr. Reilly’s death was not accidental.

“He died as a result of intoxication from etizolam combined with buprenorphine.

“Given the circumstances, I am convinced that no additional precautions could have realistically prevented Mr. Reilly’s death.”

Sheriff Patrick concluded: “I extend my condolences to Mr. Reilly’s family and thank them for acknowledging that the circumstances surrounding his death were thoroughly investigated.”

Reilly was serving a minimum of 15 years for fatally stabbing 20-year-old David Wilson in Port Glasgow, Inverclyde, just hours after being released from a young offenders’ institution in 2005.

In a letter to a friend, Reilly wrote: “There’s nothing I can say except he deserved it. If I had to do it all over again, I would, easily.

“I thought I’d get 20 years but 15 was a relief. I have to serve the full 15 before I can apply for parole, but if I win my appeal, maybe it’ll drop to 10. Here’s hoping.

“But honestly, it’s a breeze in here. That’s why I said, ‘fifteen years – no problem’.”

At the time of the fatal incident, Reilly, then 19, was walking in Port Glasgow with his girlfriend when he encountered Mr. Wilson, leading to a confrontation where Reilly stabbed him three times in the back, puncturing his lung.