A man who tried to escape Scottish justice after killing a relative has been jailed for six years and four months.
Dean Ferguson, 30, was sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow after pleading guilty to the culpable homicide of Billy Joe Bates, who was described as a childhood friend and his second cousin.
His victim sustained a number of injuries and a fatal stab wound to the chest following a violent altercation in Glasgow in November 2018.
In the immediate aftermath, Ferguson, of Glasgow, fled to Holland where he remained for more than three years before being extradited back to Scotland in May 2022.
The court heard he was linked to the killing after police infiltrated messages on the EncroChat communication network.
Prosecutors said the messages connected Ferguson to the crime and identified him as the assailant.
Moira Orr, who leads on homicide and major crime for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said:
“Dean Ferguson failed in an attempt to evade Scottish justice. He will now pay for his crimes by serving a lengthy period in prison after being convicted of a serious offence.
“This case shows that justice does not stop at the border, and we will robustly use every avenue across multiple jurisdictions to bring criminals to justice in Scotland.
“We regularly collaborate across jurisdictional boundaries as part of our commitment to protect society from harm.”