Notorious kidnapper could be in prison for rest of life

A high-risk sex offender who abducted a northeast papergirl and continued to carry out crimes inside prison was yesterday given an indeterminate jail sentence – meaning he may never be freed.

James Murison, 60, was originally jailed in 2007 for abducting and attempting to rape the 14-year-old who he forced into his Huntly home.

He trussed up the child victim and assaulted her before police arrived to free her after neighbours heard her screams.

During his subsequent prison sentence, Murison paraded around naked in jail, indecently assaulted a woman officer and exposed himself in front of other female staff with a smirk on his face.

A judge at the High Court in Edinburgh yesterday imposed an Order for Lifelong Restriction (OLR) on Murison, who was due to be released from jail in August this year.

Lord Harrower said that the OLR would take effect at the expiry of his current sentence and ordered that he serve a minimum term of 12 months.

The judge told him: “I must make it clear to you this does not mean you will be released automatically at the end of that period.”

Murison was told that any future release would depend on the view parole authorities took of the risk he posed to public safety.

A report prepared on the sex offender had concluded that he posed a high risk.

Defence counsel David Moggach said it had to be acknowledged that until “certain issues” were addressed the risk with Murison was significant.

The court heard that Murison wanted to go to the high-security psychiatric State Hospital at Carstairs.