A former British Army sniper who shot a Bangladeshi waiter to death on Orkney has admitted trying to escape from one of Scotland’s highest security prisons.
Michael Ross, 43, was caught as he tried to break free from HMP Shotts in Lanarkshire.
Prison guards watched as he attempted to use a homemade ladder to scale the perimeter fence of an exercise yard.
Officers immediately stopped his brazen escape bid and he was placed into solitary confinement for weeks by jail bosses and also banned from contacting his family.
A hi-vis jacket he was wearing was searched and found to contain food, clothing, and a toothbrush.
He claimed he knew his escape would not be successful but had done it to attract attention to his bid to appeal his murder conviction after he was found guilty of shooting Shamsuddin Mahmood, 26.
Ross appeared via video link from HMP Low Moss at Hamilton Sheriff Court and admitted attempted prison breaking in July 2018.
He was handed a two-year sentence by Sheriff Thomas Millar and told it would run alongside his current life term.
Third escape
It is the third time Ross, whose earliest release date is in 2035, has tried to escape from jail.
Depute fiscal Jennifer McCabe said: “Exercise activity was taking place in the enclosed sports field.
“Prison officers were alerted when an alarm was activated alerting them to activity on the secure fence of the sports cage.
“The officers looked at CCTV and observed Mr Ross wearing a hi-vis jacket attempting to scale the fence.
Homemade ladder
“He had a homemade ladder which had wooden grapples at either end over the fence and he was attempting to climb said ladder.
“Only one end was thrown over the fence and acted as a climbing rope.
“Officers attended where the accused was standing and he was immediately removed to the segregation unit.
“A search of his unusually heavy jacket revealed a toothbrush, clothing, and food items.”
‘Wrongful conviction’
His lawyer Aamer Anwar said: “He said his actions are as a result of his wrongful conviction and he believes that he is serving a 25-year sentence for something he didn’t do.
“The incident at HMP Shotts on 13th July 2018 was to draw attention to his case and highlight his innocence.
“He states that he was punished by the SPS after the event and still to this day he is being punished for his actions nearly four years on.
“Mr Ross wishes to convey his sorrow to the family of Shamsuddin for their loss, but appreciates they will not want to hear his words.
People who know the truth
“Michael Ross maintains that there will be people on the island who know the truth.
“He and his supporters hope that the work being carried out on his behalf will eventually give them the information that truly shows that Michael Ross was wrongly convicted of this terrible murder.”
Sheriff Millar said: “It is a serious matter to attempt to escape from custody and it has to be marked by a custodial sentence.
“It is now on your record and will possibly affect any parole proceedings in the future.”
Sniper in balaclava blasted victim
The former military sniper was aged just 15 when he walked into an Indian cuisine restaurant in Kirkwall in 1994 wearing a balaclava and blasted Shamsuddin, 26, to death.
He was eventually convicted of the crime in 2008 after police received an anonymous letter identifying him as the gunman and handed a minimum sentence of 25 years.
After he was found guilty of the motiveless shooting he leapt from the dock at the High Court in Glasgow in a bid for freedom before being tackled by officials.
A hired car with a cache of guns and ammunition was found in a nearby Tesco car park.
Shot in the head
Ex-Black Watch sergeant Ross has always denied being involved in the assassination which saw his victim shot in the head while serving customers in the popular Mumutaz restaurant.
His supporters maintain there are doubts over the credibility of key prosecution witness evidence and the police investigation into the murder.
They also say there are discrepancies over the height of the killer, who was said by eyewitnesses to be taller than Ross at the time.
Until his arrest, he had married and become a dad to two children and had been decorated for service in Iraq and made sergeant of the Black Watch sniper platoon.
Ross has previously spoken of his bids to escape from behind bars.
He said: “For me, planning an escape is like seeing an open door to the outside world.
“For me not to take that opportunity to walk through the door is madness.
“It’s only natural for captive animals to want to get out of their enclosure.”
