The sister of a deceased Kieran McGrandles from North Belfast alleges that Stephen Nolan “took advantage” of her brother “for entertainment” during the recent BBC series, Jailed: Inside Maghaberry Prison.
McGrandles was featured on Nolan’s show, which aired on BBC last week. He had a history of more than 100 convictions, including assaults on police, which he attributed to his addiction to drugs like Pregabalin.
Tragically, Kieran passed away from a suspected drug overdose in May, following the filming of the series the previous year. During his interview with Nolan, Kieran expressed frustration about not receiving the necessary support for his drug addiction and mental health issues, even mentioning the idea of harming a police officer, sex offender, or doctor.
It came to light after the program that the McGrandles family had not been informed in advance that Kieran would discuss the sexual abuse he experienced as a child, with only his immediate family aware of it beforehand.
In a conversation with Belfast Live, Kieran’s younger sister, Rachel, believes that her brother was under the influence of unprescribed medication during the interview and was “taken advantage of” by Nolan. During the interview, Kieran mentioned that he had taken non-prescribed medication that day while in prison.
When asked if she believed Kieran was under the influence of drugs during the interview, Rachel affirmed, “Yeah, I do. He mentioned to Stephen as well that he got his medication in prison. I know my brother, and I know that 99.9% of the time, he was. He was clearly in emotional distress and in a vulnerable state. I think he was taken advantage of for the sake of entertainment.”
She added, “They seen how angry he was and Stephen just seen views for his TV programme.”
Rachel states that neither Stephen Nolan nor anyone from the BBC contacted her family before Jailed: Inside Maghaberry Prison aired last Monday.
