Hit and run driver kills herself in prison despite victim pleading with judge not to jail her

A hit and run driver has killed herself in prison despite the victim’s family pleading with the judge to spare her prison.

Katie Allan, 21, a student at Glasgow University, was serving a custodial sentence at Polmont Prison, Falkirk for injuring teenager Michael Keenan while drink driving.

But three months into her 16 month sentence, she took her own life after struggling to adapt to life behind bars.

Her parents claim she was "strip-searched after almost every visit" and wasn't sleeping because she was being terrorised and bullied by other inmates. They believe this eventually lead to her suicide, and that the prison ignored their concerns over her treatment.

It comes months after her victim Michael Keenan, now 16, and his family asked the judge to spare Katie prison. She was found dead in her cell.

Michael's father Gordon Keenan, 56, told The Daily Telegraph: “She was obviously full of remorse and apologised several times to us.

“We wrote to the CPS to ask them to spare Katie of a custodial sentence, we were ignored. As the victims, we didn’t think it was necessary, some people don't get custodial sentences when the victims have died.”

The Keenan family are also calling for the governor of Polmont Prison, Brenda Stewart to step down, claiming the prison “lacks duty of care” after it failed to spot Katie's struggles. She was said to be self harming, and suffering from stress-related hair loss.

A Crown Office spokesman said: “The investigation into the death of Katie Allan is ongoing and there will be a mandatory Fatal Accident Inquiry in due course once our investigations are complete.

“The case team and staff from the specialist VIA service have been in regular contact with the family and will continue to keep them informed of any significant developments."