Matthew Lygate

Vocation

Scottish Marxist revolutionary, political activist, tailor, poet, artist and founder of the Workers Party of Scotland. Following the example of Stalin, he undertook a series of violent bank robberies in Glasgow in order to raise party funds. Convicted of bank robbery in 1972, he served the longest ever sentence in Scottish legal history for robbery despite not committing bodily harm, serving 24 years in HM Prison Edinburgh. He is noted for his strong anti-revisionist stance and adoption of Maoism in the 1960s. Upon being sentenced in the public gallery Lygate clenched his fist and shouted, "Long live the workers of Scotland!". The sentence given to him was on par with the Great Train Robbers and some of the worst IRA convicts. Many criticisms of his sentence would arise arguing that it was politically motivated. A lawyer commented later on Lygate's case that he was given 8 years for robbery and 16 for politics. He was released from prison after 12 years, and resumed his political activity until ill health forced his retirement. He died in 2012 Link to Wikipedia