Raymond McCourt arrested after escaping open prison

A man named Raymond McCourt, who was serving a life sentence for murder, has been caught in Edinburgh after escaping from an open prison in Dundee.

McCourt, now 59 years old, had been missing since Tuesday after he didn’t return to HMP Castle Huntly, Scotland’s only open prison, following a period of leave. Police warned the public not to approach him.

On Friday morning, plain clothes officers arrested McCourt after spotting him on a No. 5 Lothian bus on London Road in Edinburgh. Witnesses said six officers surrounded him and asked him to step off the bus near Leith Walk. He was searched, and the bus continued its route shortly after.

Before his arrest, he was also seen on Duke Street in Glasgow.

McCourt was originally jailed in 1993, at age 27, for murdering newsagent Khalid Mahmood by shooting him in the face during a robbery in Cambuslang. He also shot a police officer and a woman during the same crime, but both survived.

He was released on licence in 2015, but went back to prison after stealing from his partner to fund a trip to Blackpool. A court later heard that he was struggling with life outside prison and wanted to enjoy a few days before returning. He got an extra 10-month sentence for the theft but continued serving his life sentence for murder.

Police confirmed that McCourt has now been found and returned to prison, thanking the public for their help.

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