A convicted murderer who battered his victim with a hammer has been found after absconding from an open prison on day release.

Police began a hunt in the Inverness area after James Casey, 50, went missing from Castle Huntly on December 10.

Casey was given a life sentence in 1990 for smashing the skull of a social club owner with a hammer and then tying him up before leaving him to die.

He failed to return to the prison just east of Dundee and police warned members of the public not to approach him.

Police Scotland confirmed on Thursday that Casey had been traced by officers in Birmingham.

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