The firm holds a £238million contract to transfer inmates between jails, courts and hospitals and has already been fined around £4million over performance issues.
Under-fire Prisoner transport firm GEOAmey delivered inmates late to court more than 55,000 times in less than three years, the Sunday Mail can reveal.
The firm holds a £238million contract to transfer inmates between jails, courts and hospitals and has already been fined around £4million over performance issues.
However, new figures from the Scottish Prison Service, obtained by the Sunday Mail, show that between May 1, 2023, and February 28, 2026, the company was responsible for 55,593 prisoners being delivered late to court.
Late arrivals can lead to delays in criminal hearings, witnesses being left waiting for hours and huge taxpayer bills for wasted court time.
Scottish Tory justice spokesman Stephen Kerr MSP said: “These shocking figures lay bare the complete chaos in Scotland’s court system on the SNP’s watch.
“They are ultimately responsible for signing the hugely expensive contract with this company who are failing to ensure justice is delivered effectively.
“More than 55,000 late arrivals of prisoners to court is not a minor operational issue. It points to a system that is beyond breaking point.
“Neil Gray as the new SNP justice secretary must get a grip on this situation.”
Justice spokesperson Liam McArthur MSP added:“The scale of failure in the delivery of the prison transport contract has been staggering.
“When prisoner transfers run late, court time is wasted and justice delayed.
“Nobody wants to see victims, defendants or court staff put through the mill.
“I hope that the next firm charged with delivering this contract will perform better.”
The most up to date figures requested by the Sunday Mail last month show there were 11,020 late arrivals between May 2025 and February 28, 2026, with 3586 delays to court proceedings.
Between May 2024 and May 2025, there were 17,856 late arrivals, which led to 1142 court hearings being delayed.
The previous year saw 26,717 late arrivals and 2123 delays to court proceedings. GEOAmey reported revenues of £119.5million in 2024 and a pre-tax profit of £4.3million.
It was the sole bidder for the eight-year, £238million contract awarded in 2018 after Serco and G4S withdrew from the procurement process.
Rival firm Mitie will take over next year when GEOAmey’s deal comes to an end. The decision follows longstanding concerns over GEOAmey’s performance.
The announcement came just weeks after 21-year-old Aaron Strachan slipped away from guards at Edinburgh High Court while awaiting sentence for abducting and raping a 15-year-old girl.
He was found near by a short time later.
In 2024, MD David Jones apologised for repeated failures in prisoner transportation, including inmates missing hospital appointments and funerals.
The former Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland later accused the company of breaching prisoners’ human rights.
A Scottish Prison Service spokesperson said: “We remain focused on delivering a prisoner transport contract that meets the needs of those in our care, the wider justice system and Scotland as a whole.
“Since the recalibration of our contract with GEOAmey, with support from the Scottish Government, all agreed performance measures have been met and continue to be sustained, despite increasing prison population pressures.”
A GEOAmey spokesperson said “Unfortunately, these figures are provided without context and do not reflect GEOAmey’s strong performance over the period quoted. The majority of delays included in these figures are for reasons outside of any service provider’s control; a point formally recognised by our justice sector partners and also in contract.
“Despite significant pressures across the justice sector, we are proud of the fact that we have outperformed contractual targets on court arrivals for the last 30 consecutive months.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The Scottish Government has provided additional funding to better meet the needs of prisons, prisoners and the wider justice sector which has led to improved staff numbers and performance measures being met.”
Get Daily Record Premium for just £1 per month in exclusive offer to celebrate the world cup. Click HERE.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login