The death of a drug dealer while in prison in Peterhead is to be investigated by a sheriff.
Alan Hastings, 53, died while serving a five-year sentence at HMP Grampian in January 2021.
Hastings, from Kintore, was locked up in August 2019 for his role in transporting more than half a million pounds worth of Class A drugs throughout the UK.
He admitted using his haulage firm to transport illegal substances at the High Court in Glasgow and was due to spend the next five years and three months behind bars.
However, he died at the South Road prison on January 21.
In what circumstances is a fatal accident inquiry held?
In 2018 the 53-year-old delivered a package of heroin worth a potential £487,000 to an address in Dundee.
He followed this by transporting £100,000 of cocaine in Larkhall.
Now, an investigation into his death has been ordered due to it happening while he was in legal custody.
An advanced hearing will take place remotely from Peterhead Sheriff Court on Tuesday, December 7.
What is the purpose of a fatal accident inquiry?
Fatal accident inquiries are mandatory under the Inquiries into Fatal
Accidents and Sudden Deaths (Scotland) Act 2016, when someone dies in custody.
The hearings, heard before a sheriff, examine the circumstances of unexpected deaths and hear evidence from witnesses and experts.
Rather than appointing blame, they aim to examine whether any steps might be taken to prevent similar circumstances from happening again in the future.
Deaths in police custody are very rare in Scotland. Between 2013 and 2019 only 14 were recorded across the country.
A spokesman for the Scottish Prison Service confirmed Mr Hastings’ death in February 2021.
He said: “Police Scotland have been advised and the matter reported to the Procurator Fiscal.”
