Police warn public not to approach escaped murderer Raymond McCourt

Police in Scotland have launched a manhunt after Raymond McCourt, a 59-year-old convicted murderer, absconded from HMP Castle Huntly, an open prison near Dundee. McCourt was serving a life sentence for the 1993 murder of shopkeeper Khalid Mahmood, as well as for the attempted murder of two others and various other violent and firearms offenses. Authorities have described McCourt as 6ft 2in, stocky, with short grey hair and a beard, and noted that he has reduced mobility and connections to Glasgow and Edinburgh, likely using public transport. The public has been warned not to approach him and to contact police with any information regarding his whereabouts. Prison escapes are rare, but this incident follows other high-profile abscondments from UK open prisons in recent years. Police and the Scottish Prison Service are working together to return McCourt to custody.