A convicted murderer on the run from a Scottish open prison has been found dead in a West African holiday resort.
John Brown, convicted of murder in 1976, absconded from Castle Huntly prison, near Dundee, after he was let out on home leave in May. The 57-year-old's body was discovered in The Gambia on 29 November. It is understood he was found hanged.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We can confirm the death of a British national in The Gambia." He added: "Next of kin have been informed and we are providing consular assistance."
Brown previously lived and worked in both Glasgow and Edinburgh. His disappearance was described by the authorities as being "completely out of character".
At the time, Justice Minister Kenny MacAskill was put under pressure to resign as the escape followed that of armed robber Brian Martin, known as The Hawk, who also went on the run from Castle Huntly.
Brown had been transferred to the open prison on the advice of the Parole Board in February this year. He was being considered for release in July, Scotland's Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said at the time of his disappearance.
He said the prisoner had "no history" of absconding, and had completed a "successful" period of home leave a month before he vanished. Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Bill Aitken has demanded an investigation into how Brown managed to leave the country.
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