Convicted murderer Raymond McCourt, who had escaped from HMP Castle Huntly, an open prison in Dundee, was apprehended in Edinburgh. The 59-year-old McCourt was taken into custody by plainclothes officers after being removed from a Lothian Bus in the city’s London Road area on Friday morning. Prior to this, he was sighted on Duke Street in Glasgow following his disappearance from HMP Castle Huntly on Tuesday where he was serving his sentence for shooting shopkeeper Khalid Mahmood in Cambuslang, Lanarkshire, in 1993.
According to an eyewitness who spoke to BBC Scotland News, McCourt was surrounded by six officers and requested to disembark from a No. 5 bus near the junction with Leith Walk. It was reported that he had boarded the bus in the Abbeyhill area just minutes before. Passengers observed him undergoing a search by both plainclothes and uniformed officers before the bus was granted permission to carry on with its route.
McCourt’s criminal history dates back to when he was 27 years old and committed the shooting that led to the death of Khalid Mahmood. In 2015, he was released on license but was sent back to prison subsequent to stealing valuables from his partner during that period. The stolen items were used to fund a holiday to Blackpool before he was apprehended by law enforcement. His struggles with adapting to life outside of prison were cited during the proceedings at Perth Sheriff Court where he received an additional 10-month sentence for the theft, subsequently resuming his life term imprisonment for the murder charge.
Raymond McCourt’s capture by authorities underscores the dangers of open prison escapes and the importance of robust law enforcement efforts to ensure the safety of the public. The quick action taken by the plainclothes officers in Edinburgh in detaining McCourt highlights the proactive measures in place to prevent potential risks associated with escaped prisoners. As McCourt faces further legal consequences for his actions, the justice system continues to uphold accountability and deterrence for criminal activities in society
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