The north’s most senior police officer has made a direct plea to an on-the-run murderer – and urged him to give himself up.
James Casey battered to death father-of-two Ian MacBeth during a botched robbery.
He failed to return to Castle Huntly open prison in Angus after being allowed out on day release and has now been at large for almost a fortnight.
The public have been warned not to approach him and it is believed someone may be shielding him.
Last night, Police Scotland’s north divisional commander Chief Superintendent Julian Innes urged the 50-year-old to hand himself in.
Although Casey is considered dangerous, Mr Innes said that based on his recent behaviour he was surprised he had absconded.
He added: “He is a convicted murderer. He is at the stage of being reintegrated into the community, so it was a surprise to us locally that he chose not to return to prison.
“That wasn’t consistent with his previous pattern of behaviour which has been very positive.
“We are working closely with our colleagues in the Tayside area to make sure that we find him as quickly as possible and put him back in prison.
“I suggest he hands himself in because the longer he stays away the more harm it’s going to do his case.”
Casey failed to return to Castle Huntly at Longforgan at 8pm on December 10 after unescorted day release.
It is now known he absconded after attending an official appointment in the Inverness area.
Specialist police officers from across Scotland have been drafted-in to help hunt for him and a series of potential sightings of the killer have been followed up.
escaped killer James Casey to give himself up immediately.
Casey murdered father-of-two Ian MacBeth in a botched robbery in Invergordon in 1990.
Casey, who speaks with a Highland accent, was jailed for battering Mr MacBeth with a hammer and leaving him to die in a wood in Easter Ross in 1990.
Mr Innes said that although he should not be approached, people should not be alarmed if they spot him.
“What you can be assured of is that every police officer in Scotland knows who he is,” he said.
“We are conducting a number of inquiries to try and trace him and the sooner we get him back the better for everybody.”
Officers in the north are in daily contact with their colleagues in Tayside and a senior investigating officer in the Highlands has been assigned to the operation.
“The answer will be in the community,” Mr Innes said. “Somebody will know where Casey is. That person needs to give us a phone and tell us.”
Mr Innes said that anyone who knows Casey’s whereabouts may be scared to contact the police, but added: “That has happened in previous inquiries, but there is the Crimestoppers opportunity as well, so if somebody wants to lift the phone and call Crimestoppers, we don’t care where the information comes from, or who it comes from.
“We’re just keen on making sure that he is apprehended.”
The chief superintendent added: “One possibility is that he is within the Highlands and islands.
“I’d like to thank folk in the region for taking time to read our media releases. We’ve had a number of phone calls in relation to where he might be. We have followed up on each one of those.”
Anyone with information about’s Casey’s whereabouts has been urged to contact police on 101, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.