"Help me. They are going to kill me."

This was the chilling and desperate plea from prison officer-turned-hostage David "Bud" Flanagan after rioting inmates at Barlinnie jail swarmed B-Block and staged a rooftop protest in January 1987.

Flanagan was one of several officers being held at knifepoint at the notorious Glasgow prison where a band of around 20 convicts in makeshift balaclavas made from blackened pillow cases and armed with truncheons, shields, and other weaponry, had seized control.

A major incident was declared on January 5, with inmates causing massive damage throughout the main hall, trapping prison staff in cells, and starting fires to coax out warders who had sought refuge. Several officers sustained injuries on day one from being pelted with glass bottles and othe

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