Francis Docherty, 57, has served 25 years of his life sentence before he was found in his cell at HMP Perth.
Francis Docherty, aged 57, died at HMP Perth on Sunday, January 23, 2022(Image: Police Scotland)
An inquiry is to be held into the death of a prisoner who murdered a teenage boy after by stabbing him through the heart.
Francis Docherty, 57, was found within his cell at HMP Perth in the evening of Sunday, January 23, 2022. The Glasgow man had already spent 25 years in jail after he was sentenced to life for killing David Ferns in 1987.
Docherty had been arguing with the 16-year-old’s older brother when the pair were out walking their dogs.
David, of Stravanan Road, also in Castlemilk, arrived to help his sibling during the argument between them. However, he was then fatally stabbed through his heart by Docherty.
HMP Perth(Image: Perthshire Advertiser)
In 2004, he was reported missing from HMP Edinburgh. Prison staff had raised the alarm after the then 40-year-old had failed to return from a work placement at a charity shop.
However, a spokesperson had said: “We do not believe, from his behaviour in prison, that Frances Docherty presents a specific threat.”
Now, three years after his death the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) has lodged a First Notice to begin the court process for a Fatal Accident Inquiry into the death of Docherty.
As he was in legal custody and in the care of the state at the time of his death, COPFS is obliged to investigate such deaths, and a Fatal Accident Inquiry is mandatory.
A Preliminary Hearing is due be held on October 2 at Dundee Sheriff Court.
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Procurator Fiscal Andy Shanks, who leads on deaths investigations for COPFS, said: “The Lord Advocate considers that the death of Francis Docherty occurred whilst he was in legal custody and as such a Fatal Accident Inquiry is mandatory.
“The lodging of the First Notice enables FAI proceedings to commence under the direction of the Sheriff.”
Unlike criminal proceedings, FAIs are inquisitorial in nature, and are used to establish facts rather than to apportion blame.