Bold as Brass: Killer’s TikTok Posts Reignite Family Trauma

Margaret McCallum believed she had left Ben McCulloch behind after he received a jail sentence four years ago. That assumption crumbled recently when he began sharing videos on social media showing him celebrating in his prison cell. The first image she noticed depicted McCulloch with another inmate, captioned: “They’re deed and we’re no hahah.”

“It’s so disheartening,” Margaret said. “You think he’s behind us now, we don’t need to deal with him anymore. And there he is, bold as brass, in our faces.”

The Crime That Changed Everything

In March 2021, McCulloch stabbed Stephen Quigley, Margaret’s younger brother, in Barrhead. The two had been close friends, spending time together before the fatal attack. After the incident, McCulloch left Stephen outside a hospital unit late at night, when no one was around to assist. The next morning, a staff member found the body in A&E.

“We had to go and identify the body,” Margaret recalled. “He had nothing on him—no keys, no phone, no wallet, nothing. He was just a body.”

McCulloch, who was later charged with murder, pleaded guilty to culpable homicide and received a nine-and-a-half-year sentence. Despite this, his recent posts on TikTok suggest he’s embracing prison life as an opportunity to showcase his freedom rather than reflect on his actions.

Prison Life in the Spotlight

BBC Scotland revealed that McCulloch, along with others, has been using mobile phones illegally to film inside HMP Addiewell, a maximum-security facility in West Lothian. One clip features a prisoner declaring: “Who said life in jail was hard?”

Mobile phones are banned in Scottish prisons, yet their use can lead to disciplinary measures or legal consequences. A prison official noted that an iPhone can fetch up to £5,000 in the facility. Addiewell, the only privately operated prison in Scotland, holds nearly 800 inmates, including adult males awaiting trial.

Operators of the prison, Sodexo Justice, claim their goal is to “change lives for the better by operating safe, decent and secure prisons.” However, Margaret argues that McCulloch’s behavior undermines this mission.

Seeking Justice and Change

Margaret is pushing for legislation that would penalize prisoners for sending messages that distress victims’ families. “I just want his time inside to actually mean something,” she said. “When he comes out, what sort of rehabilitation has he had?”

She’s skeptical McCulloch will reform, predicting he’ll “no doubt end up back inside.” While unsure of the exact solution, she insists the current system isn’t sufficient to address the emotional toll of his actions.

A spokesperson for HMP Addiewell stated the facility “takes matters extremely seriously” and immediately reports any illegal items. They added: “We constantly review our practices and deploy a range of tactics to prevent such items from being introduced.”

The Scottish Prison Service acknowledged the videos caused “significant distress” to families. They emphasized staff efforts to maintain security, using technology and intelligence to stop illicit items from entering prisons. However, the incident raises questions about the balance between inmate rights and victim accountability.