Axe murderer is freed from jail after 11 years

Euan Munro, who killed his mother, begins new life in the Mearns

A murderer has been freed from prison just 11 years after being jailed for life for hacking his mother to death with an axe.

Euan Munro, 42, from Insch, was sentenced to life imprisonment at the High Court in Dundee in August 2007 and was told he must serve a minimum of 11 years by Judge Lord Menzies.

He is now building a new life for himself in the Mearns following his early release.

Munro is now at liberty following a spell in the open estate although his precise whereabouts are being kept strictly private.

He will now remain on licence for the rest of his life and can immediately be recalled to prison if he was to breach the terms of his licence.

A spokesman for the Scottish Prison Service said: “I can confirm that we would normally prepare somebody for parole consideration in a variety of ways including programme intervention and testing with community access.

“Those prisoners released on parole from life sentences remain on licence for the rest of their lives and can be recalled to custody if they breach licence conditions or are involved in any further criminal behaviour.”

Munro carried out the early morning attack on Helen Turner after a night out drinking.

After the attack, the father-of-one drove away then called his sister and police, telling them: “I think I’ve killed my mother.”

When police arrived at the home where the mother and son lived together in Insch, they found the 53-year-old lying in bed with the bed linen up to her neck.

The axe was still lying in the room. Munro, who had a history of depression, pled guilty to the murder which happened on December 20 2006.

Scottish Conservative shadow justice secretary Liam Kerr has campaigned for the adoption of “Michelle’s Law” proposals.

Named for an Ayrshire teenager who was stabbed to death by her former boyfriend, these include allowing victims and their families to give evidence when parole or early release are a possibility and for decisions to be explained to them.

He said: “Although the original sentence of life imprisonment was appropriate, this man has served a short 11 years for a horrible crime.

“The victim is not here to consider whether her son has served long enough.

“So it is up to the prison service to make sure the rest of the family understand why they have made this decision and how it will affect them.”

Those prisoners released on parole from life sentences remain on licence for the rest of their lives ... SCOTTISH PRISON SERVICE SPOKESMAN

Euan Munro murdered his mother after a night out drinking in December 2006.