Samurai sword attacker admits fleeing justice

Violent man given additional jail term after going on the run

A violent thug who was jailed for assaulting his partner with a samurai sword went on the run from prison.

Frederick Boyd was serving a fiveyear sentence for the shocking attack when he absconded from Castle Huntly, near Dundee.

He had stabbed Caroline Ferrie at her son’s home in Glasgow’s Knightswood area on October 16, 2014, in the mistaken belief she was having an affair.

Police Scotland launched a hunt for Boyd after he disappeared following a period of home leave, warning the public he was dangerous.

Boyd still had some months to go until his release but was being prepared for a return to life outside prison when he was temporarily allowed home in April this year.

He was staying at a hostel in Glasgow, with a curfew requiring him to be within doors between the hours of 11pm and 7am each day, until a scheduled return to the open prison on April 12.

Perth Sheriff Court heard he failed to return to the hostel one evening and went missing until handing himself in days later.

He claimed to have missed a bus and been unable to return to his hostel in time and had “panicked”, deciding to instead flee back to the arms of his family.

He said he had subsequently realised this was “extremely foolish”.

Boyd also claimed that he had been sleeping rough in Clydebank’s Dalmuir Park and beneath the Erskine Bridge.

Solicitor John McLaughlin said his client’s flirtation with the bridge could be considered “quite sinister” given that he had had been hospitalised for an overdose of medication since his return to closed prison.

Boyd, described as a prisoner at HMP Glenochil, admitted failing to return to his home leave address and failing to return to Castle Huntly on Wednesday April 12 and attempting to defeat the ends of justice.

Sheriff Gillian Wade said: “You are no stranger to the prison system and court and yet you took the somewhat silly decision to remain at liberty when you could have gone back to open prison.”

Sheriff Wade sentenced 54-year-old Boyd to an additional eight months behind bars.

Frederick Boyd failed to return to Castle Huntly open prison near Dundee.