William Beggs, the convicted murderer known as the 'Limbs in the Loch' killer, has failed in a legal bid to win £5,000 compensation from the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) over the handling of his mail.
A judge had previously ruled that Beggs' human rights were violated when prison staff opened his confidential letters. However, in a further ruling, Lady Stacey rejected his claim for damages, stating that the breaches did not involve reading any confidential mail and that apologies had been made.
Beggs, 52, is serving a life sentence for the murder and dismemberment of 18-year-old Barry Wallace in Kilmarnock in 1999. He has pursued several legal actions during his imprisonment, including a previous successful compensation claim over delays in his appeal.
The latest case stemmed from his dispute with the Scottish Information Commissioner, which was thrown out by the Court of Session last year. Beggs' lawyers also argued that the SPS breached his rights by opening or delaying his correspondence between January 2013 and January 2015 while he was at HMP Glenochil and HMP Edinburgh.
Lady Stacey previously ruled that the SPS failed to respect Beggs' rights under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects private and family life and correspondence. However, she decided that no damages were warranted, noting that the system was not reformed after earlier actions but that the breaches were not serious enough to require compensation.
