An inquiry into the deaths of two notorious Scottish paedophiles who caught Covid-19 while in prison has found that nothing more could have been done to prevent their passing.
Former RAF serviceman Gordon Pinkerton and priest Francis Moore were serving sentences at HMP Dumfries when they contracted coronavirus during two separate outbreaks in the prison during the pandemic.
Pinkerton, 75, died on April 22 2020, and Francis Moore, 85, died on February 27 2021. Their deaths were investigated by the Covid Deaths Investigation Team within the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), and a joint Fatal Accident Inquiry took place at Dumfries Sheriff Court on December 19.
Child rapist Pinkerton was jailed for 15 years for sexually abusing six young girls over almost half a century in 2013. He preyed on schoolchildren across Scotland and raped two youngsters when they were just six years old between 1963 and 2011.
He turned up at the family home of one of his victims dressed in his uniform and abused her after telling her stories about the Air Force.
One victim had told the trial that she had attempted to kill herself because she was ashamed of what had happened to her. Pinkerton maintained his denial throughout.
The 75-year-old was kept in a single cell in HMP Dumfries. A prison officer first noticed that he had taken unwell on April 15, 2020. A Covid test was taken, and the prisoner was isolated in a designated hall for the virus.
But his condition deteriorated, and he was rushed to Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary the next day. At first, Pinkerton refused all treatment and died a week later on April 22.
Paedophile priest Francis Moore was jailed for eight years for abusing three children, the youngest aged just five, over the course of more than 20 years at the High Court in Glasgow in 2018. The 85-year-old suffered from heart disease before his death.
A Covid-19 outbreak was declared at HMP Dumfries on February 6, 2021, due to 10 staff and one prisoner testing positive. Every inmate within Moore’s block was put in isolation and mass-tested, but his test came back negative.
A few days later, another test returned a positive result, although he appeared in good health but he remained in isolation. A week later, Moore became unwell and started suffering from hallucinations. An ambulance was called, and he was taken to Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary.
In the following days, his oxygen levels remained low, and he passed away on February 27.
Sheriff David Young said: “Mr. Pinkerton and Mr. Moore each became infected with Covid-19 during a nationwide outbreak and succumbed to this disease despite prompt transfer to hospital and treatment there.
“Having considered: the context of the pandemic and the developing understanding of the transmission of the disease and the appropriate responses required within the prison setting; the steps taken to assess and control the spread of the disease in the prison; the steps taken to assess the state of health of each man; and their care and treatment in HMP Dumfries and later in hospital, I am satisfied that appropriate care and treatment were provided to each throughout.”
Procurator Fiscal Andy Shanks, who leads on fatalities investigations for COPFS, said: “We note the Sheriff’s determination. Mr. Pinkerton and Mr. Moore died from the COVID-19 virus they contracted whilst in legal custody.”
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