Exclusive by Peter Swindon

CRIMINALS are marrying their brides behind bars and hosting parties for up to a dozen guests in Scottish prisons, it has been revealed.

A buffet is laid on at some jails, including Barlinnie in Glasgow, and prison officers assigned to oversee ceremonies.

Five prisons have played host to 17 weddings in the last five years, according to figures released by the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) following a Freedom of Information request by the Evening Times.

But the convicts and their guests are not given the chance to toast the bride with a glass of bubbly or consummate the marriage with a conjugal visit, according to the SPS.

In November 2014 one bride wore a white wedding dress and tied the knot with a criminal at Barlinnie as eight guests wearing tuxedos and two prison officers in uniform looked on.

A "small buffet" paid for by the prisoner was provided and the SPS said there were no additional staffing costs incurred during the 90-minute occasion because guards were "on duty already".

Kilmarnock prison has been used as a venue for three weddings since 2010 where a maximum of ten guests attended each ceremony.

The jail also offers a "short reception with a buffet at the prisoner's expense" and the event must last no longer than an hour.

The staffing cost of two guards overseeing each event is estimated by the SPS to be around £25.

Three wedding were also held at Shotts Prison where up to twelve guests can attend ceremonies followed by a "small buffet" with tea and coffee.

Four ceremonies were conducted at HMP Addiewell and a further six at Perth Prison.

There were no weddings at women's prison Cornton Vale or Polmont Young Offenders' Institution.

The Scottish Prison Service was keen to stress that there is "no alcohol" offered at receptions and no conjugal visits immediately after the weddings.

However, the Scottish Conservatives' justice spokeswoman Margaret Mitchell, criticised the policy which means ceremonies can be held behind bars.

The MSP said: "We know the support of the family and a significant other can aid rehabilitation, but it appears that the Scottish Prison Service has taken this policy to extremes.

"It's a bizarre message to send out, that if you go to prison, you can have your marriage costs met by the state. It's also an insult to the victims of crime.

"Given the pressure on prison resources, we also have to ask if this is an appropriate way to use public funds."

An SPS spokeswoman defended prison governors who have given their blessing to weddings in jail.

She said: "Any request to be married in prison is at the governors' discretion and all associated costs are met by the offender and their family."