Out of the Darkness : The transformation of one of Scotland’s most violent prisoners

By the age of 19, Anthony Gielty was one of Scotland’s most violent prisoners, feared by his fellow convicts and the prison staff who struggled to contain him. Imprisoned for a murderous attack involving samurai swords, he had established himself inside, running a prosperous drug smuggling trade and intimidating anyone who stood in his way. When it appeared that only years in solitary confinement – the so-called Ghost Train – would subdue him, a fellow inmate suggested he speak to a priest. Drawing on all the Christian traditions he could find, Anthony discovered power to change in all of them – whether that was saying the rosary, reading his Bible, attending Mass or studying the lives of the saints. And so, slowly and painfully, began the journey that took him to a new life, and eventually a career outside of the prison walls, firstly working across Scotland to bring down sectarian barriers and then to introduce other prisoners to the new life he had found.