The remains of the last man to be hanged in Scotland have been exhumed from the grounds of a jail.

Henry John Burnett was 21 years old when he was executed at HMP Aberdeen on August 15, 1963, after being found guilty of murdering his lover's husband by shooting him in the face.

He was the only man to be sentenced to death by hanging at the prison at Craiginches.

Now his remains have been exhumed from the grounds of the prison, which closed in ­January and is earmarked for low-cost homes aimed at public-sector staff.

Yesterday the Scottish Prison Service revealed his remains had been exhumed and a private service held for him in the city.