THE Scottish Prison Service yesterday denied overcrowding was to blame for an increase in violence at Aberdeen's Craiginches jail - despite three incidents in one week.
One inmate was taken to hospital last week and two others were treated in the prison for slight injuries. Four men have been charged in connection with the alleged attack where the prisoner was hospitalised for a ''minor injury''.
Last night, a SPS spokesman said: ''The attacks took place in B hall, which is for remand prisoners. No weapons were involved.
''We are taking this very seriously. It is our job to keep order in prisons and we are concerned at the occurrence of these incidents.''
The spokesman, who yesterday had talks with Craiginches governor Ian Gunn, denied overcrowding was to blame in the jail which houses 198 men and women in space for 148. He added: ''This has been a factional thing. Often scores which have not been settled on the outside spill over into the prison.''
Mr Jim Dawson, deputy general secretary of the Scottish Prison Officers Association, said: ''To call the situation at the prison dangerous is an overstatement, but to say it is not worrying would be a gross understatement. It is difficult to say overcrowding was to blame but it would be unwise to rule it out.''
In April, a prison officer was rushed to hospital after an inmate slashed his throat and last month officers decided to work to rule and ban overtime in a protest at under-staffing.
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