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A violent inmate accused of attacking a prison warden and a nurse had charges against him dropped because he’s considered to be too dangerous for court.

Leaked documents reveal the case against Andrew Burns was scrapped because he is considered an extreme threat to the public.

The decision has brought a furious reaction from unions whose members were victims of the attack.

Burns, who has a series of violent convictions, had been accused of attacking a warden and a female nurse in Glenochil jail near Alloa. But the assault charges were dropped.

The warden was dealing with a complaint when he was allegedly attacked by Burns. A nurse was hit on the back with a chair.

(Image: Daily record)

Officers restrained Burns while the injured warden was taken to hospital.

But a Crown Office report, obtained by the Sunday Mail, described the 25-year-old, who had been due to face trial at Alloa, as a high security risk and recommended assault charges against him be dropped.

He has a string of convictions for vandalism, assaults, resisting arrest and making false allegations against prison officers. Other incidents include him biting open veins in his arm and spraying people with his blood.

He also assaulted a nurse when he escaped from a hospital in Crewe, Cheshire, in 2010.

Burns, of Kinglassie, Fife, last year claimed he was transgender and changed his name to Tiffany Scott.

He is one of about 100 prisoners with an Order for Lifelong Restriction (OLR), which means he will only be released when he is no longer considered an “unmanageable risk to public safety”.

The report, written by a senior Crown Office official, said: “The accused is an extremely volatile and dangerous man. He is routinely violent and will find any way he can of being disruptive and harming those around him.

“He has also attempted to escape on previous occasions.

“He also engages in dirty protests and refuses to be searched by G4S as he claims to identify as a woman.

“I have asked court police officers and G4S to conduct risk assessments should the accused go to trial.

“Both reports highlight the propensity this man has for violence and the lack of provisions for dealing with same at Alloa Sheriff Court.

“I have reached the conclusion that the public interest is not best served by proceeding with these trials.

“The potential for harm is too grave.”

The Prison Officers Association Scotland (POAS) wrote to the Scottish Justice Minister Michael Mathieson, who passed their concerns to the Crown Office. They wrote back to POAS saying they were reviewing the decision.

Andy Hogg, assistant general secretary of the POAS, said: “We have members who were injured through this guy’s violence.

(Image: YouTube)

“The Crown Office decided that given his violent background, it was not in the public interest to take him to the court.

“Surely it cannot be in the public interest not to prosecute. It’s definitely not in the interest of our members.

“It seems they’re saying the more violent you become, the less likely it is you will be taken to court.”

Scott Donohoe of union Unison, who represent nurses, said: “We have zero tolerance towards any of our nursing staff being assaulted. We believe any violence against our members should be dealt with severely by the courts.”

Four years ago at the High Court in Glasgow, Burns admitted stalking a 13-year-old girl from his cell at Polmont Prison, near Falkirk, by sending letters. He was sentenced to 14 months and given his OLR.

When Burns appeared in court for assault in Cheshire, he was described as a “troubled young man who appeared to suffer from psychosis and had difficulty controlling his rages”.

He was then sentenced to 16 months in a young offenders’ institution. He has been transferred to Edinburgh’s Saughton Prison.

Legal expert Brian McConnachie QC said: “This is a very unusual and concerning case. If Alloa Sheriff Court was not suitable for this prisoner, I don’t know why they couldn’t have found another court.”

McConnachie once represented triple killer Robert Mone, who was serving a life sentence, in a civil case at Perth Sheriff Court.

In 1976, Mone broke out of Carstairs Hospital with fellow inmate Thomas McCulloch, murdering another inmate, a male nurse and a police officer.

He added: “Mone was a Category A prisoner at the time. He was taken to the court from prison without any problems.

“It’s difficult to see why it can’t be done here. It’s also a matter of concern if G4S feel they were unable to deal with this type of prisoner, as seems evident from the report.”

A G4S spokeswoman said: “Our team securely escort some of Scotland’s most dangerous criminals.

“Our first priority is keeping the public safe. We have never refused to transport a prisoner or deemed a prisoner beyond our capability to transport.”

A Crown Office spokesman added: “Proceedings were raised against Andrew Burns regarding alleged assaults at HMP Glenochil. After considering the full circumstances, the prosecutor decided it was not in the public interest to continue the case to trial.

“At the request of one of the complainers, we are reviewing this decision.”