Murderer loses legal fight

McFetrich was originally sentenced to serve eight years

A man who killed his estranged wife has been told he will have to serve more time in jail because he transferred from the Scottish to the English prison system.

Gordon McFetrich's legal claim that his human rights were being violated was dismissed by the High Court in London.

McFetrich, from Aberdeen, was sentenced to life in 1995 for killing his estranged wife Jacqueline.

The 43-year-old smashed down the door of her flat in Stirling after finding out her address - days before a crucial custody hearing in relation to their two sons.

She died from 16 stab wounds.

At the original trial, the judge at the High Court in Edinburgh recommended McFetrich should serve a minimum sentence of eight years.

Claim rejected

In 1997 - at his own request - he transferred to a prison in England.

Three years later Jack Straw, then home secretary, set a 12 year minimum period before prisoners like McFetrich could be considered for parole.

The convicted killer sought judicial review claiming he had been treated unfairly as "he would have been eligible for parole at an earlier date had he remained in Scotland".

But his claim was rejected by Lord Justice Scott Baker at the High Court in London.

Lord Baker dismissed claims that the home secretary's intervention had violated his rights under the European Convention on Human Rights.

He said that McFetrich had been sentenced to life and was in no way serving a heavier penalty than he would have done in Scotland.