Moaning prisoners are plaguing jails with barrage of complaints

Monsters bombard jails with moans.

A hardcore of whinging cons are plaguing jails with official complaints.

The Sunday Post has learned 16 moaning prisoners were responsible for 347 gripes last year.

They contributed 6% of the overall official annual complaints received by jail bosses despite making up just 0.2% of the prison population.

Tory chief whip John Lamont said: “It’s clear these individuals are serial whingers who will make complaint after complaint regardless of their environment.

“As such, these gripes should now be treated with contempt, and the offenders deemed to have cried wolf one too many times.”

Many of the moans were for matters such as low wages, sub-standard canteen food and a lack of exercise facilities.

Amongst the whingers is notorious limbs in the loch murderer William Beggs. In 2011 Beggs, 50, demanded a full-scale investigation after a meeting with his parents was delayed by five minutes.

He also launched legal action after claiming prison chiefs were invading his privacy by monitoring his prison computer.

It’s not known who the other serial moaners are, but they are imprisoned in just a handful of Scotland’s 15 jails Shotts, Glenochil, Dumfries, Edinburgh and Polmont and none of them are women.

Among their gripes was not liking their prison uniforms, problems with visiting friends and relatives and concerns about damage to their property.

Phil Fairley, of the Prison Officers’ Association Scotland, said sex offenders are the most notorious for putting in official complaints.

He said: “There appears to be no rhyme nor reason as to why this category of prisoner is more vocal in their official complaints. However, it is important to stress it isn’t just them behind the complaints.

“What our members find is there is also a small group of ‘barrack-room lawyer’ prisoners who have carried out some basic legal studies behind bars. Not only do they put in plenty complaints but they act on behalf of others as well.”

Beggs hit the headlines after the horrific killing of supermarket worker Barry Wallace in 1999. But since being caged in 2001 for murder, he has achieved notoriety for his behaviour behind bars.

He is believed to have cost the taxpayer £1 million in a nine-year battle to wriggle out of his murder conviction on a series of technicalities. His bid for freedom was eventually stopped for good in 2010.

In July, it was reported prisoners in Scotland are making 47 complaints a day about their treatment behind bars. Murderers, rapists and others are raking in thousands of pounds in compensation by suing jail bosses over conditions.

Among them was convicted paedophile Neil Robertson who won a taxpayer-funded payout over treatment for his toothache.

A spokesman for the Scottish Prison Service said: “The process for handling prisoner complaints is set out in legislation. Our handling of complaints is subject to scrutiny by the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman as well as HM Inspector of Prisons.”