The mother of Dundee murder victim Mary McLaren has attacked plans to transfer her daughter’s killer to prison in his native Ireland.
It is understood Patrick Rae, who brutally murdered mum-of-three Mary McLaren in 2010, is to be transferred from Glenochil Prison to a facility in his home country of Ireland some time later this year.
Mrs McLaren’s mother, Margaret McIntosh, has said she will fight the transfer.
“It’s not fair that he is getting to serve his time in Ireland when he maliciously murdered my daughter,” Mrs McIntosh told The Courier.
“I believe he should serve his time in Scotland. He should serve his 20 years here.
“We are still struggling to come to terms with it. We still miss Mary a lot and there’s not a day goes by that we don’t think about her, especially the grandchildren.
“I think it should be a life for a life he shouldn’t get any privileges at all. I’ve always believed that, and not just because it was my daughter who was murdered. I’m going to protest against this.”
Judge Lord Tyre sentenced Rae to life imprisonment with a minimum of 20 years behind bars for the murder in 2010.
It emerged after his trial that he already had 13 previous convictions including rape, attempted rape, aggravated sexual assault, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and false imprisonment.
Rae has so far been serving his sentence at Glenochil Prison, Clackmannanshire, where it is understood he has been repeatedly attacked by other inmates.
It was reported last year that he had begged to be allowed to serve the remainder of his sentence in Ireland near his family.
Rae is still wanted in Ireland in connection with a sexual assault of a 30-year-old woman at Links Station, Portmarnock, near Dublin, in April 2008.
If returned to Ireland, he may be tried in relation to that case as well.
It is now understood an agreement has been reached between the Scottish and Irish governments to allow him to be transferred, although a specific date for the transfer has yet to be decided.
A spokesman for the Scottish Prison Service said it does not comment on individual cases.