Jordan Burns made several attempts to take his own life during ten months as an unconvicted remand prisoner at HMP Addiewell in West Lothian, before he suffered an overdose
A grieving mother whose son killed himself when he was alone in a cell is suing the prison so it “never happens again”.
Jordan Burns attempted to take his own life with a razor blade, set fire to his cell and had to be resuscitated twice from drug overdoses during ten months as an unconvicted remand prisoner at HMP Addiewell in West Lothian. He was found dead in his cell on November 10, 2023, having suffered an overdose. His mother, Janice Burns, and her lawyer Aamer Anwar are now preparing to sue the private jail while politicians have demanded an immediate investigation.
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The devastated mum says her son was omitted from a suicide prevention programme while being denied mental health support and medication for post traumatic stress disorder. She told Daily Record : “My son didn’t deserve to die. His death was preventable.
“His cries for help were ignored. They took my boy’s life before it had even started.
“He was sent to Addiewell on remand, was there for almost a year, and when he came home to me it was in a coffin.
“This has happened to too many people. I just want to help change things so no other young boy or family has to go through this.”
With the support of human rights lawyer Anwar the mother is now planning to take legal action against the prison. Jordan had previously been on the prison “Talk to Me” suicide prevention strategy but Janice says he was taken off the programme.
In one harrowing incident just weeks before his death Jordan, who was facing an assault charge, took a razor blade to his own throat and called his then-solicitor, threatening to kill himself. He also told the lawyer he had been waiting for mental health support for months.
Janice added: “He was loving and funny and smart and loved by his family and friends. I feel like someone has ripped my heart out.
“Someone there could have helped him. But nobody did. Instead he was punished.”
Addiewell is Scotland ’s only private prison. It is run and partly owned and run by private company Sodexo, while an additional 67 per cent is owned by Infrastructure Investment Holdings – an arm of London investment firm, HICL Infrastructure.
Lawyer Aamer Anwar, who also represented the families of several other young people who died in custody, has said Jordan was “severely mistreated” while in prison.
He added: “There was no care plan for a desperate young man following multiple suicide attempts. The prison effectively sanctioned a death sentence and for that they should face prosecution.
“Instead of getting justice, families like Jordan’s face the possibility of years of gaslighting, lies, and cover ups before a fatal accident inquiry that cannot even assign blame or determine guilt.”
Scottish Labour Justice spokesperson Pauline McNeill said: “Jordan’s family deserve answers about his death and it is not right that they have had to fight so hard for the truth. The SNP government must urgently investigate what went on here.”
An HMP Addiewell spokesperson said its thoughts were with the Burns family and said it understood “how difficult this time continues to be”. The prison said it could not comment further while waiting for a fatal accident inquiry into Jordan’s death.
For emotional support you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email ** jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.
