Scots killer posted Bebo updates from behind bars

A killer has been caught posting updates on his life behind bars onto a social networking site.

John Graham, 24, uploaded photos taken in Edinburgh's Saughton Prison to his profile on Bebo as well as updating his status profile to "on tour at Her Majesty's hotels". Graham was convicted of murdering neighbour Thomas Hart, 51, in a brutal attack using a paving stone and sentenced to life imprisonment in April 2007.

Graham was also concurrently serving a five-year sentence over a separate machete assault that left his victim disfigured. A judge recommended he serve a minimum of 15 years behind bars.

Warders and staff at Edinburgh's Saughton Prison now face awkward questions on how Graham came into possession of a mobile phone, and what that says about the prison's security more generally.

Scottish prisons ban mobile phones and the internet but abuse is rife. A total of 637 phones were discovered inside Saughton Prison alone in the two years between January 2008 and January 2010, the Daily Telegraph reports.

Graham's Bebo profile hosts a series of angry rants interspersed with racism and sectarian abuse. He also posted pictures of himself and other inmates, virtually guaranteeing discovery. A Scottish news agency adds that Graham made threats to "rape and kill" an 18-year-old mother whose brother was dating his ex-girlfriend.

The Scotsman carries one of the pictures Graham posted here. It reports that criminal gangs from the Edinburgh area often "pre-arrange their fights via their Bebo" before confirming details by mobile phone.

A Scottish government spokesman told the Daily Telegraph: "We have already made possession of a mobile phone or SIM card in prison an offence. And we are currently creating a new offence of using a mobile phone in prison with a tougher penalty of up to two years in prison." ®