THE EVIL fiend branded the "Limbs in the Loch" murderer has been ordered to pay the costs of a legal battle he fought against Scotland's information commissioner.

 

William Beggs, 51, claimed Rosemary Agnew acted illegally over how she handled a Freedom of Information application that he made from prison in 2013.

The killer took Ms Agnew to the Court of Session in Edinburgh. He wanted to see notes from meetings held by the Scottish Prison Service's Internal Complaints Committee.

One committee meeting was held to discuss his complaint about how prison staff handled "privileged" legal mail which had been addressed to him.

In a written judgement issued at the Court of Session last month, judge Lord Carloway ruled that Ms Agnew acted correctly.

Yesterday, Lord Carloway ruled that Beggs was also liable to pay the information commissioner's costs which are thought to be several thousand pounds. The court had earlier heard that Beggs owns property in Kilmarnock and has other assets. The court heard that the killer could pay the legal bill by selling off these assets.

The judge said that normal legal rules - that the loser pays the costs of the winner - must apply in the action.

Beggs was jailed for life in 2001 after murdering 18-year-old Barry Wallace and dismembering his body in December 1999 at a flat in Doon Place in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire.

He was previously jailed in 1987 for another murder but his conviction was overturned on appeal. Beggs lost a lengthy appeal to overturn his conviction for the murder of Mr Wallace. During his trial, the court heard how Beggs cut up Mr Wallace's body and dropped the limbs and torso of his victim in Loch Lomond. The cruel beast disposed of Mr Wallace's head by throwing it into the sea off the Ayrshire coast.

The trial judge who jailed Beggs, Lord Osborne, ordered that he serve a minimum of 20 years and said he took into account the "seriousness of the appalling offences."

The murderer has pursued a series of legal action since he was jailed and previously won a payout because his appeal took too long to be heard. In January 2015, Beggs appeared from custody and personally addressed civil appeal judges Lord Carloway, Lady Dorrian and Lord Bracadale.

His case was with regard to applications he made to the information commissioner two years ago.

He wanted to see the notes made by prison staff sitting on the internal complaints committee. He alleged that they breached data protection law when handling mail about his legal affairs. The freedom of information commissioner refused to grant Beggs' request prompting him to go to the Court of Session. He told the judges that he wanted them to set aside the information commissioner's decision- and for them to allow him to see the notes from the meetings.

Beggs urged the court not to allow the Information Commissioner to be awarded costs but Lord Carloway refused and ruled his interpretation to be wrong.