WILLIAM Beggs, the Limbs in the Loch killer, has left Scotland with a bill for more than £40,000 over a spate of freedom of information requests which have ended up in court.
Beggs, who decapitated and dismembered his victim, has challenged several decisions by the Scottish Information Commissioner but is not liable for the watchdog's costs as he is on legal aid.
Tory MSP John Lamont last night said it was "outrageous waste of public money".
Beggs, from Northern Ireland, was ordered to serve at least 20 years for the murder of teenager Barry Wallace in 1999.
Wallace's body parts and torso were dumped in Loch Lomond and the 18 year old's head was thrown into the sea from the Troon to Belfast ferry.
Trial judge Lord Osborne said it had been the "most distressing of cases and appalling of offences".
Beggs has used his time in prison to become a legal expert and has mounted a raft of criminal and civil legal bids.
Under right-to-know legislation, any citizen can request information from hundreds of public bodies.
If no agreement can be reached, the taxpayer-funded SIC adjudicates.
The applicant can also challenge the Commissioner's decision in the Court of Session.
In the last four years, the SIC has racked up a sizeable bill as a result of Beggs trying to overturn its judgements.
In 2011, the Commissioner backed Strathclyde Police after Beggs wanted CCTV footage taken in Kilmarnock where Beggs met his victim, as well as other information relating to the police investigation.
The killer went to court but three judges backed the SIC's ruling.
Although the SIC won the case, it had to pay its own £27,627 legal bill due to Beggs' being legally aided.
The SIC told the Sunday Herald that Beggs is now seeking further taxpayer support to appeal to the Supreme Court.
In 2012, the SIC backed the Scottish Prison Service in relation to a dispute with Beggs over correspondence about prisoners' access to a laptop facility.
The Commissioner ruled that answering the question would cost too much, but Beggs again signalled his intention to go to court.
Although the killer eventually abandoned his appeal, the watchdog incurred a £7,810 bill.
The SIC last year issued a ruling after Beggs asked the prison service for notes of meetings.
An appeal hearing was due to take place last week and, so far, the SIC's costs have amounted to £4,229.
Finally, the SIC decided that the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner had been entitled to withhold information from Beggs regarding details of a review file.
The appeal to the Court of Session was put on hold while Beggs sought legal aid, an application the SIC said was granted last month.
The Commissioner's bill so far for this dispute is £3,294, which takes the total for the four cases to £42,960.
According to the Scottish Legal Aid Board, the value of Begg's assistance for the Strathclyde case was £8,765.
It could not provide figures for the other FOI-related appeals.
Between 2008 and 2012, Beggs' legal teams received £208,919.98 for a series of criminal and civil court bids.
Lamont said: "Legal aid is there to ensure access to justice not to let convicted killers go on a fishing expedition for information. This is an outrageous waste of public money."
A spokesperson for the Scottish Legal Aid Board said: "Prisoners in Scotland have access to civil legal assistance in the same way as anyone else. In order to qualify there are statutory tests that they must satisfy.
The SIC declined to comment.
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