'Bold as brass' - My brother's killer brags on TikTok about partying in jail

Margaret McCallum thought she had seen the last of Ben McCulloch, the man who killed her brother, when he was handed a jail sentence four years ago.

That was until recently, when he appeared in a series of pictures and videos posted on social media – partying bare-chested in his cell.

The first picture Margaret saw was of McCulloch posing with another killer, taken inside HMP Shotts, with the caption: "They're deed and we're no hahah".

Gritting her teeth, Margaret told the BBC she felt "instant anger" when she saw the posts.

"It's so disheartening," she 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.

"How can you keep coming into our life? We're trying to move on from a massive trauma that you've dealt to our family, and now you're bragging about it.

"That's what it feels like to us. That he's bragging about how easy his time is. Our time isn't easy. Every single day is difficult."

Ben McCulloch stabbed Margaret's younger brother, 26-year-old Stephen Quigley, in Barrhead in March 2021.

The two were close friends and had been spending time together before the fatal attack.

McCulloch then left Stephen outside a hospital day unit, late at night when no-one was around to help him. Stephen tried to walk to A&E but was found dead by a staff member the next morning.

"We had to go and identify the body," said Margaret. "He had nothing on him, no keys, no phone, no wallet, nothing. He was just a body.

"Ben himself was up at the hospital a few hours later – the same hospital, a stone's throw away, he could have said something."

BBC Scotland reported last week how McCulloch was among a number of prisoners who have been illegally using mobile phones to film themselves celebrating and appearing to take drugs at HMP Addiewell in West Lothian - a maximum security prison.

One of the clips, posted on TikTok, shows a prisoner saying: "Who said life in jail was hard?"

The story was first reported in the Daily Record newspaper.

Mobile phones are banned in jails and their use can lead to disciplinary action or prosecution.

A prison official previously told BBC Scotland News an iPhone can be worth £5,000 behind bars.

Addiewell, the only privately run jail in Scotland, can hold just short of 800 prisoners and accommodates convicted adult male prisoners and men on remand.

Operator Sodexo Justice says on its website that it aims to "change lives for the better by operating safe, decent and secure prisons".

McCulloch was originally charged with Stephen Quigley's murder but agreed to plead guilty to the lesser crime of culpable homicide and avoid a trial.

He was given nine-and-a-half years for the crime.

Margaret said she and her family have to cope with a "lifetime sentence" of grief brought about by a man who spent time in her mother's house.

BBC Scotland News understands McCulloch has been found guilty of additional charges over illegal use of a mobile phone – however he will ultimately not spend any longer in jail as a result.

This is because prisoners can serve multiple sentences at the same time, although on occasion judges impose consecutive sentences which must be served at the end of their main jail term.

In any case, Margaret is not convinced McCulloch will change his ways after he is released - if anything she says he will "no doubt end up back inside".

Though Margaret admits she is not sure what the solution would be, she supports the idea of a new law which criminalises the sending of messages from inside prisons that cause upset to 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?

"You're meant to be readjusting this man's way of thinking so that when he comes out he's able to join his community again."

A spokesperson for HMP Addiewell said it took matters "extremely seriously" and that any prisoner found with illegal items is immediately reported to the relevant authorities.

They said: "We constantly review our practices and deploy a range of tactics to prevent such items from being introduced."

The Scottish Prison Service said it understood that the videos caused "significant distress" to families.

A spokesperson said: "Our staff work hard to keep prisons safe and secure, using all available technology and intelligence to prevent illicit items, including mobile phones, entering our establishments.

"While we do not comment on individuals, we continue to work with Police Scotland, and other partners, to take action against those who attempt to breach our security."

A Scottish government spokesperson said the illegal use of mobile phones was an operational matter for the Scottish Prison Service.

"In 2026-2027 we are investing just over £1bn in our prisons to support frontline staff and progress improvements in the prison estate," they said.