A Balloch thug who is serving life for murdering three members of Helensburgh family connected with selling drugs has won the first stage of a legal battle to visit his sick grandmother.
Scott Snowden is serving a 33-year life sentence for murdering Thomas Sharkey, 55, his son Thomas Jr, 21, and daughter Bridget, eight, at their Helensburgh home in 2011. Drug dealer Scott Snowden
The 44-year-old has been asking prison bosses to see his 99-year-old grandmother, who has dementia and is unable to visit him at HMP Shotts.
She lives in a nursing home and until two years ago travelled to Helensburgh to use zoom technology to speak to Snowden.
He launched legal action against the Scottish Government saying the decision not to allow him to visit her breached his human rights, but a judge at the Court of Session refused permission for a judicial review.
However, his lawyers took his case to the Inner House of the Court of Session, with appeal judges concluding that his bid should proceed to the next stage.
The written judgement published last week states: “It suffices to say that we are satisfied that the petition has enough substance to justify the conclusion that there is a real prospect of success.”
During the second visit, his gran was in hospital and deemed “dangerously ill”.
He was refused permission to visit her on two other occasions in 2019, when it was said there was no evidence to support the application under exceptional circumstances.
A letter from her GP stated she was on the palliative care register but was not dangerously ill. However, it commented that she was not able to travel to HMP Shotts or to any prison nearer to her home.
Prison staff also stated they had intelligence linking Snowden to “drug supply and violence”.
The judgement states that his grandmother becomes upset during telephone calls with him as she is unable to see him.
In 2013, Snowden and accomplice Robert Jennings, 51, originally from Renton, were convicted of the triple murder which took place at Scott Court, Helensburgh in July 2011 after the Sharkey family’s home was torched.
Snowden, who was told he would need to serve at least 33 years before being eligible for parole, had previously been jailed for drugs offences.
Jennings, who set the fire by pouring petrol through the letterbox on Snowden’s orders, was ordered to serve at least 29 years behind bars.