The son of a murdered gangland enforcer who escaped from custody after a hospital appointment was today jailed for 16 months.
Steven Ross, 33, made his bid for freedom at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary on March 11.
Ross had been taken there from Addiewell Prison where he is serving life with a minimum sentence of 20 years for the murder of 26-year-old Sean Humphrey in Glasgow in 2013.
He brandished a piece of metal at prison officers and threatened to cut one of them into a hundred pieces, before locking them in cells and fleeing the scene.
The attack took place as he returned to the prison van around 5.30pm after receiving treatment. Ross's right wrist was handcuffed to prison officer Graham Rae's left wrist.
Ross was caught two weeks later at a house in Rutherglen after police received an anonymous tip.
Ross's father Gordon Ross was the right hand man of Tam “The Licensee” McGraw and was lured out of the Sheiling Bar in Shettleston and stabbed to death in 2003.
Jailing Ross judge Lord Matthews said: “I have to impose a deterrent in order to maintain good order and discipline in prisons."
Ross will serve the 16 months at the end of his life sentence.
At the High Court in Glasgow prosecutor Kath Harper said: “Mr Rae unlocked the side door to the vehicle and the accused followed him in with another prison officer Morag Buchanan following behind.
“The accused grabbed the door handle and shut the door and the officers saw that he was holding a sharp piece of metal, similar to a razor blade, in his left hand.”
The court heard he lifted it to Mr Rae's eye level and told him: “You're going to let me go or I'll cut you into a hundred pieces.”
Mr Rae tried to wrestle the blade from Ross's hand, but was pushed to the ground.
Ross then told Ms Buchanan referring to the handcuffs: “Take them off or I'll cut him.”
She did so and then both officers were then locked in cells within the van.
Ross then searched through the van and bags owned by the officers and removed a seatbelt cutter, a pair of gloves, a hat, a navy jacket and around £25 in cash.
Mr Rae, who had a phone in his pocket, phoned for help. Police who attended found the prison officers locked in the prisoner cells. They were shaken, but uninjured.
In court Ross admitted attempting to defeat the ends of justice by escaping from a prison van at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary on March 11.
He also admitted assaulting Constable Alan Fletcher by struggling violently with him and repeatedly striking him on the body at flat in Greenhill Court, Rutherglen, on March 25.
Solicitor advocate Graham Brown said: “His father had connections to the Glasgow criminal world and was murdered when Steven Ross was 15. He never sought help for that at the time. The pressure was too much for him and that led to the escape bid.
“He is remorseful for what those members of staff had to go through.”
Mr Brown told the court that Ross came across the piece of metal at the hospital.
Ross was sentenced via a video link from prison.
