Bonanza for bungling guards' boss

A DIRECTOR of Reliance Security has seen his pay treble, despite the firm releasing more than 20 prisoners by mistake.

Ken Allison took home £849,000 last year, swelled by a one-off £645,000 gain made when he cashed in share options.

Reliance, a major Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contractor, has been dogged by controversy, especially after it was hired by the Scottish Executive as part of a £150m prisoner escort deal.

In its latest annual report, Reliance chairman Brian Kingham dismissed a series of high-profile blunders as 'teething problems'.

These included a convicted murderer walking out of a court in Hamilton, Lanarkshire, after convincing guards that he was another prisoner on bail. In another bungle, a prisoner escaped through the roof of a security van.

Allison's options windfall came after profits targets set in 1998 were met.

Underlying profits at Reliance grew by 5% to £13.2m in the year to April. But the security services division faces 'more challenging' conditions ahead of a new licensing system for guards next year.

Kingham's 70% Reliance stake is worth £87m and The Mail on Sunday Rich Report ranks him as one of Britain's 300 wealthiest people.