Father of Dundee United star Ryan McGowan facing extradition to Scotland

The father of Dundee United star Ryan McGowan is in an Australian jail awaiting a return to Scotland to face historic murder charges.

The extradition of James McGowan has been sought by Police Scotland as part of an on-going cold case investigation relating to the death of 45-year-old Owen Brannigan in Coatbridge in 1999.

It was one of the first five cases to be re-opened when Scotland’s cold case unit was set up in 2011, with an extradition arrest warrant naming McGowan first issued in 2013.

McGowan moved to Australia in 1999, where he lived with his wife in Adelaide until his arrest in December 2014.

He was able to return to Scotland in 2012 to attend the Scottish Cup Final in which son Ryan scored for Hearts during a 5-1 win over Hibs.

The player signed for Dundee United in January and it’s understood the club were aware of the situation surrounding their international defender’s father when he joined.

A Crown Office spokeswoman said: “An extradition request has been submitted to the Australian authorities with regards to a 55-year-old man.

“As the extradition process is on-going, it would be inappropriate to comment further.”