Out of the Darkness: The Transformation of One of Scotland’s Most Violent Prisoners

When still young, someone said of Anthony Gielty ‘He’s gonnae end up in the nick.’ And he did – at the age of 17, he was convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to ten years, some of which was spent in solitary confinement. At 19, he was placed in the most violent prison in Scotland. Anthony Gielty was viewed as too difficult a prisoner for the Scottish prison system. A vicious thug, he terrorised his fellow inmates – until he met Christ. Through a variety of forms of Christian spirituality, he became a changed man. Equally at home in a Bible study, an Evangelical service or a Catholic Mass, Anthony has worked tirelessly to bring Catholics and Protestants together across the sectarian divide in his native Scotland. As he says, he is now driven by ‘a passion for the lost and a passion for unity in the Church.’