Murder accused faces extradition

Divers found Mr Wallace's severed limbs

A Dutch judge has told a man suspected of murdering a teenager and dismembering his body that he must face trial in Scotland.

The Court of Justice in The Hague has refused an application for an injunction to block the extradition of 37-year-old William Beggs, from Kilmarnock, in Ayrshire.

Beggs has been fighting attempts to extradite him since he was charged with the murder of 18-year-old Barry Wallace in December 1999.

He faces charges of abduction, murder and attempting to pervert the course of justice and Strathclyde Police has been liaising with the Dutch authorities over his extradition, which could take place next week.

Barry Wallace had been on a night out

Mr Wallace, also from Kilmarnock, was last seen alive on 5 December 1999 after going to a Christmas party with colleagues from the town's Tesco supermarket.

His severed limbs were found by police divers who were on a training exercise in Loch Lomond shortly after his disappearance.

His head was discovered by a woman walking her dog on Barassie Beach, near Troon, Ayrshire.

The Court of Justice was hearing the final appeal of Beggs against the decision of Dutch justice minister Benk Korthals that he should be sent back to the UK.

The minister upheld a decision by the Supreme Court of the Netherlands to quash Beggs' original appeal against extradition after it was granted by judges in Amsterdam in April last year.

Fair trial

Lawyers for Beggs have argued throughout the series of hearings that "negative" media coverage at the time of Mr Wallace's death would prejudice his chances of receiving a fair trial.

However, court president Albert van Delden rejected the arguments that the right to a fair trial, as protected by the European Convention on Human Rights, had been violated.

He concluded that contempt of court legislation, which restricts the media's reporting of ongoing trials, offered Beggs sufficient protection.

"More recent publications do not, so far, appear to have mentioned any new facts," he said in Friday's judgement.

William Beggs' flat was searched by police

Mr van Delden added that he had rejected the application for an injunction in part because a petition by Beggs' lawyers to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg could not be traced.

Amsterdam-based lawyer Lian Mannheims alleged in a submission to the court that the petition had been faxed to Strasbourg the day before the hearing in The Hague took place.

But the Netherlands, which had defended the extradition in court, said it had no knowledge of any proceedings at the European court.

Judges at the original extradition hearing in Amsterdam told Beggs he had the right to take his case to Strasbourg.

Mrs Mannheims refused to comment when contacted about the judgement.

Beggs, who is originally from Northern Ireland, was already in Holland by the time he was charged with abduction, murder and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

He has been held in custody in the De Schans remand centre in Amsterdam since handing himself in to police in the city a few days after Christmas 1999.