Assault on Andy Selmour at Melrose Prison: Timing of Guard Intervention Under Review

Title: Assault on Andy Selmour at Melrose Prison: Timing of Guard Intervention Under Review

Content: The Criminal Investigation Division (CID) of the Eastern Division is trying to piece together how Andy Selmour was violently assaulted by fellow inmates for about 15 minutes without immediate intervention from prison guards.

At the end of the week, the head of the Control Room at the Eastern High Security Prison in Melrose was questioned by the CID. He detailed the events of Tuesday, December 9, the day of the assault, as well as the events that followed. According to his statements, the alert concerning the fight involving Andy Selmour was raised after he heard shouting and insults coming from the Kestrel Yard. However, the CCTV recordings, which have audio capabilities, did not capture any explicit cries for help.

The guard explained that he immediately alerted his colleagues for an intervention to take place. He specified that the Control Room broadcasts images from about 400 cameras and allows for real-time video switching. His colleagues then assembled an intervention team to proceed to the Kestrel Yard. Meanwhile, Andy Selmour was reportedly confronted and then taken to another location by five fellow inmates, who moved him away from his attackers.

An intervention team eventually arrived on the scene. Andy Selmour, already injured, had been placed on the ground, and a substance was reportedly administered to him by the group of five inmates to ease his pain. Investigators are looking into the possibility that it was either a medicinal substance or a dose of drugs, either offered or forcibly administered, as he suffered from the effects of his assault with a weapon.

Shortly thereafter, his condition deteriorated, and he began to vomit. He was taken to the prison's Medical Ward around 5 PM, where he was allegedly left unattended. The on-duty nurse's shift had ended, and his colleague did not arrive until about 90 minutes later, just before 7 PM. By then, Andy Selmour was already deceased. A resuscitation attempt did not succeed in saving him.

CID investigators are particularly questioning the delay in the guards' response following the alert and how the situation could persist for such a long time before a team arrived on-site.