Convicted murderer's 10 years for plot to gun down a prison officer

A CONVICTED murderer who planned to have a prison guard gunned down in a revenge plot has been sentenced to more than 10 years in prison.

- By Eve Beattie

Twisted Robert Paterson, 45, planned the attack as he believed the officer at HMP Edinburgh had put his life at risk by delaying a hospital trip after he swallowed seven bags of cocaine.

But cops foiled the plan thanks to covert surveillance gear planted inside his jail cell in early 2023, catching him plotting the hit in a series of bugged conversations.

At a sentencing hearing at the High Court in Edinburgh yesterday, judge Lord Harrower explained the origins of Paterson’s “animus” towards the officer.

Swallow

The judge said that shortly before 2am on November 15, 2022, the prison guard heard Paterson “scream he was having a heart attack” from inside his cell, and “demanded” he be taken to hospital.