Brian John Gourlay Emans, 42, died within HMP Shotts on August 14, 2023.
The death of an inmate inside a Lanarkshire prison is to be investigated.
Brian John Gourlay Emans, 42, was jailed following a machete attack and gun stash discovery. He died within HMP Shotts on August 14, 2023.
Emans had friends at his Bridgeton home on July 11, 2020, when a feud broke out between himself and another man.
He slashed the individual with a machete leaving him with a fractured arm and deep cuts.
Following the attack, police raided Emans’ home, where he was carrying a Smith & Wesson revolver loaded with four bullets and a sawn-off shotgun was also found inside.
An improvised explosive device was also spotted in the bedroom. Neighbours were evacuated and the Royal Navy bomb disposal team were brought in.
Emans was jailed for 13 years, but died just two and a half years into his sentence.
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service is obliged to investigate such deaths, and a Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) is mandatory.
A Preliminary Hearing will take place on June 8 at Hamilton Sheriff Court.
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A FAI determines the cause of death, the circumstances in which the death occurred, and establishing what steps, if any, could have been taken to minimise the risk of future deaths in similar circumstances.
Unlike criminal proceedings, FAIs are inquisitorial in nature and are used to establish facts rather than to apportion blame.
Procurator Fiscal Andy Shanks for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, Scotland’s independent deaths investigation authority, said: “The Lord Advocate considers that the death of Brian Emans occurred whilst he was in legal custody and, as such, a Fatal Accident Inquiry is mandatory.
“The lodging of the First Notice enables Fatal Accident Inquiry proceedings to commence under the direction of the Sheriff.”
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