The Special Branch officer tossed the paper down on the table. The headlines screamed off the page at her. “TOP TORY TO CASH IN ON PRISON PLAN,” the main banner said. Underneath, a smaller headline read, “Jail sell-off means fat profits for Jedburgh.” Lindsay’s heart sank. Whoever had stolen Rosalind’s report hadn’t hung around. The byline on the story read “By Bill Grace, Clarion Chief Reporter.” She knew Bill, and knew he was one of the best journalists in Scotland. He’d obviously used his extensive and varied contacts to turn a run-of-the-mill leak story into a major political scandal.

Appalled, she read on.

A top-secret plan to privatize Scotland’s prisons will make the minister responsible a rich man.

Mark Jedburgh, the Scottish Office minister in charge of prisons, has an extensive shareholding in a security firm that has been gearing up to meet the challenge of running a top-security prison on the taxpayers’ behalf.

According to a secret government report, revealed exclusively to the Scottish Daily Clarion, plans are well advanced to sell off Scotland’s jails to the highest bidder.

The plans include armed guards, strict punishment regimes, increased security, drastic cuts in social and educational opportunities for prisoners, and an end to all rehabilitation programs for long-term violent offenders.

Vigilando Security Group are hotly tipped to win the first contract to run a private prison.

One of VSG’s major shareholders is Mark Jedburgh, Tory M.P. for Central Borders. He owns 15 per cent of VSG. His wife Christina owns another 7 per cent.

Former prisoner Davey Anderson, who served three life sentences for murder and now works for a charity which helps to resettle ex-prisoners, said last night, “This is diabolical. Jedburgh should resign at once. This plan is a recipe for riot.” (Continued p.3)

Lindsay looked up from the paper, hoping that her feelings of shock were reflected on her face. “I knew nothing about this,” she protested. “Ask Bill Grace. He’ll tell you he didn’t get it from me.”

“We’ve already spoken to Mr. Grace,” Fraser replied. “I bet you can guess exactly what he told us.”

“He refused to reveal his sources, I suppose. But surely if you asked him to confirm that it wasn’t me, he’d tell you that, at least?” Even as she asked the question, Lindsay knew it was a vain hope. In Bill’s shoes, she’d have admitted nothing.

“We did ask him, believe me, Miss Gordon. He simply said that he was not prepared to answer any questions at all relating to the source of his information. He made the perfectly reasonable point that if he started cooperating with us to the extent of eliminating people, we could go right through the names of every working journalist, civil servant, and politician in Scotland till we got to a name he wasn’t prepared to eliminate. So I’m afraid you’re still very much in the frame.”