ROBERT MANSON FREED
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by Boyle in his book (later made into a film) A Sense of Freedom. Not only did prisoners have to deal with the rough treatment of prison guards, they also had to stay one step ahead of the Glasgow gangland culture which existed in every hall and which resulted in daily confrontations between antagonistic and ruthless prisoners. The gangland philosophy in this prison came to a head, and was properly exposed, when my uncle Robert’s pal Rab was stabbed to death. Just five minutes after prisoners were let out for their evening recreation on 23 October 1969, a square go (a fight without any weapons) had been arranged to take place inside Cell 12 between Rab and a prisoner called William ‘The Thug’ Bennett. My uncle Robert had stabbed Bennett some time before this confrontation, but during a trial just two weeks beforehand Robert had lodged a special defence of impeachment, which involved his friend Rab Duncan saying that it was actually he who had stabbed Bennett. In the end it was Rab who agreed to fight Bennett in the cell as a way of straightening things out, but Bennett pulled a knife he had hidden tied around his neck and stabbed Duncan to death in a frenzied attack. Realising what had happened, my uncle Robert ran into the cell to assist his pal and attacked Bennett. The screws raised the alarm and medical staff rushed to the cell. Rab Duncan was found sprawled across the bed and was pronounced dead at the scene. He had been stabbed several times: he hadn’t stood a chance. At a lengthy trial which started on 20 January 1970 at the High Court in Aberdeen, 49 witnesses, including 15 prisoners, were cited by the Crown. Bennett spoke about a ‘reign of terror’ at Peterhead, and claimed the Manson brothers and Rab Duncan were the leaders of a gang. A dagger and two knives were among the list of productions in the case. A jury of seven men and eight women found William Bennett, who was 28 years old at the time, guilty of murdering Rab Duncan in Cell 12. Lord Wheatley sentenced Bennett to life, with a recommendation that he serve at least 20 years. My uncle Robert, who was only 23 years old, was called to give evidence on the first day of the trial. Lord Wheatley
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