By Kirsty Topping
LIMBS in the Loch killer William Beggs has blasted nurses for their lack of sympathy while treating a convicted paedophile.
Neil McNeil, who abused children over a 20 year period, died of cancer in July this year.
But murderer Beggs claims prison nurses showed no concern for the 72-year-old when he became ill.
He also said the sex offender had not received “justice” prior to his death.
Beggs, who is serving at least 20 years for the 1999 murder of teenager Barry Wallace, made the claims in the prisoners’ newspaper Inside Time.
Children’s charities have reacted with astonishment at the claims.
Beggs and McNeil were jailed together at both Peterhead and Glenochil prisons.
McNeil was convicted in 2001 of sexually abusing children. At his Glasgow trial it was revealed that his partner Hannah had filmed their sickening crimes and distributed the films.
Detectives working on the case described it as the worst they had ever come across.
McNeil was briefly released in 2009 but was back inside after just four days when he began stalking a victim.
Writing in the newspaper, Beggs compared his friend’s plight to that of the Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al Megrahi who was freed two years ago to return home to Libya to die.
He complained that McNeil had been denied medical treatment and had been handcuffed to a hospital bed.
He wrote: “Two years ago the world listened intentlyto Scotland’s Justice Secretary announce the release on ‘compassionate’ grounds of the only man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing.
“At about the same time Neil McNeil was being charged with a ‘breach of the peace’, said to have been seen in a car late at night outside the home of a victim.
“By the time Mr McNeil had been recalled into custody, police had identified the car and driver as having nothing to do with him.”
Beggs, who recently lost an appeal against his conviction, claims that after his return to prison McNeill began suffering stomach pains but was dismissed by nurses.
He continued: “Nursing staff at HMP Glenochil were less than sympathetic and said he wasn’t unwell enough to see a doctor.
“Following his latest refusal for treatment in July, Mr McNeil collapsed before being taken to hospital. There he was handcuffed to a bed.
“Mr McNeil died within two weeks, chained to a hospital bed. Kenny MacAskill is still Scotland’s ‘Justice’ Secretary. Shame on him.”
Peter Bradley of children’s charity Kidscape said he had little sympathy for the paedophile.
He said: “If it was deemed by the authorities that Neil McNeil was still a risk, it’s understandable he was handcuffed to his hospital bed.”
A Scottish Prison Service spokesman said: “Anyone who required acute medical care will receive the appropriate treatment.”
