By Ruth Suter

Copyright dailyrecord

Three prisoners who died at a Scots jail within months of one other all consumed street valium at the time of their deaths, a Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) has found. Marius Bauba, 28, Thomas Thompson, 46, and James Garscadden, 32, all died in a four month period between April and July 2021. The inmates were being held in HMP Shotts in Lanarkshire. Mr Thompson, 46, was found dead on his cell floor on April 17, 2021. Mr Garscadden, 32, was found dead in the bed of his cell on the morning of June 27 the same year. Mr Bauba , 28, was rushed to Wishaw General Hospital on July 23, 2021, after he was discovered unresponsive in his cell. He died the following day. The FAI found that all three men died after taking etizolam, also known as street valium. Other drugs, including cocaine and opiods, were also discovered in their systems following post-mortem examinations. The probe heard from a senior employee at HMP Shotts, who admitted there were “significant issues” over drugs in the jail at the time of the prisoners’ deaths. Mitchell Baillie, a unit manager at the prison at the time of the fatalities , said the deaths were all linked to “illicit substances” behind bars. He told the probe prison chiefs became so concerned about drugs that an “amnesty” was held where prisoners were issued with envelopes, where they could dispose of substances anonymously. Mr Baillie said in his evidence that the only way to prevent drugs from entering the jail was to create a sterile environment and to take security to a level which would involve visits being non-contact and more resources required to introduce more searches. Mr Bauba was serving an almost 10-year sentence after stabbing 34-year-old Morgan Dunn in the heart after a row at a house in Ayr in February 2020. He initially faced a murder charge but pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of culpable homicide at the High Court in Glasgow. Mr Garscadden was serving 27 months for taking police on a 100mph three-mile chase on the wrong side of the M8 with a child in the car in July 2019. Mr Thompson had been jailed for four years for possessing a blade. He had been a drug user since the age of 12. Sheriff Liam Murphy, who led the FAI into their deaths at Hamilton Sheriff Court, ruled that there were no precautions that could have been taken to prevent their deaths . There were no defects discovered in any system of working and no recommendations were set out. In a written judgment, Sheriff Murphy said: “The deaths of Mr Thompson, Mr Garscadden and Mr Bauba occurred within a short period of time. “Despite this, there was no evidence that the deaths were linked other than the involvement of illicit substances and the fact all three were inmates at HM Prison, Shotts . “I wish to express my sincere condolences to the families of Mr Thompson, Mr Garscadden and Mr Bauba.” The Record has approached the Scottish Prison Service for comment.