Edit John Watson Laurie
John Watson Laurie was the longest serving prisoner in Scotland.
Born in Coatbridge in1864, he became a pattern-maker for one of Glasgow's locomotive engineering works.
In 1889, Laurie was jilted by his fiancee after a scandal over money stolen from his work place.
But he was never charged over the incident as his family repaid the cash.
He went in search of the woman at the favourite Clyde coast summer holiday resort, Rothesay, on the Island of Bute.
Failing to find his fiancee, and short of funds, he met up with an English tourist, Edwin Robert Rose, and they decided to take a trip to Arran.
While there, they climbed Goat Fell.
But Laurie descended alone and was later seen wearing his climbing companion's distinctive hat.
Listed missing by relatives, Rose's body was eventually found in a gully below Goat Fell and following an exhaustive search Laurie was caught and tried for murder.
Witnesses claimed to have seen Rose at different times on the fateful day, discrediting Laurie's version of events and he was convicted and sentenced to death.
However, Laurie's sanity was very much in question resulting in his sentence being commuted to life.
Rather than being sent to a state hospital for the criminally insane he was to spend much of the rest of his life in one of Scotland's toughest prisons at Peterhead.
He was eventually transferred to Perth Prison where he died in 1930, having served 40 years and 11 months, the longest period anyone has ever been incarcerated in Scotland.
Born in Coatbridge in1864, he became a pattern-maker for one of Glasgow's locomotive engineering works.
In 1889, Laurie was jilted by his fiancee after a scandal over money stolen from his work place.
But he was never charged over the incident as his family repaid the cash.
He went in search of the woman at the favourite Clyde coast summer holiday resort, Rothesay, on the Island of Bute.
Failing to find his fiancee, and short of funds, he met up with an English tourist, Edwin Robert Rose, and they decided to take a trip to Arran.
While there, they climbed Goat Fell.
But Laurie descended alone and was later seen wearing his climbing companion's distinctive hat.
Listed missing by relatives, Rose's body was eventually found in a gully below Goat Fell and following an exhaustive search Laurie was caught and tried for murder.
Witnesses claimed to have seen Rose at different times on the fateful day, discrediting Laurie's version of events and he was convicted and sentenced to death.
However, Laurie's sanity was very much in question resulting in his sentence being commuted to life.
Rather than being sent to a state hospital for the criminally insane he was to spend much of the rest of his life in one of Scotland's toughest prisons at Peterhead.
He was eventually transferred to Perth Prison where he died in 1930, having served 40 years and 11 months, the longest period anyone has ever been incarcerated in Scotland.
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