The "limbs-in-the-loch" killer William Beggs has been awarded compensation for the length of time taken for his appeals to be heard.

Beggs was convicted in 2001 of murdering 18-year-old Barry Wallace in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire.

The victim's limbs and torso were recovered from Loch Lomond while his head was found washed up on a beach near Troon.

He was jailed for life and ordered to spend at least 20 years behind bars.

But the European Court of Human Rights today published a ruling that awarded Beggs 6,000 euros (£4,800) after finding his human rights had been breached under article 6.1 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Article 6.1 states: "In the determination... of any criminal charge against him, everyone is entitled to a fair and public hearing within a reasonable time by an independent and impartial tribunal established by law."

The award is made up of 2,000 euros for non-pecuniary damage (damages for which there is no formal monetary scale, such as pain and suffering) and 4,000 euros for legal costs and expenses.

Beggs has failed in previous appeals to overturn his conviction at the Supreme Court and the Appeal Court in Edinburgh. His entire appeal proceedings have lasted more than 10 years and three months.

A summary of the European Court ruling stated: "Although the case was complex, this did not in itself justify appeal proceedings which lasted over ten years. A substantial proportion of the delay had been caused by the applicant's own conduct.

"However, there were also periods of inactivity where the courts had failed to take steps to progress matters of their own motion, and this led the Court to find a violation of the right to trial within a reasonable time.

"As regards Mr Beggs' numerous challenges to the fairness of the trial proceedings, the Court found that his trial was fair and declared all of his complaints inadmissible."

Beggs first made an application to the European Court of Human Rights in June 2006. He was seeking £16,400 in respect of non-pecuniary damage and more than £10,000 for legal expenses.

Supermarket worker Mr Wallace vanished on December 5 1999, after a Christmas night out with colleagues in his home town of Kilmarnock.

A jury found Beggs took the teenager to his flat and subjected him to a serious sexual assault. He then murdered him and cut up his body.

The killer dumped the limbs and torso in Loch Lomond and the head in the sea off the Ayrshire coast.

Shortly after the crime, Beggs, originally from Northern Ireland, fled to the Netherlands.

After lengthy extradition proceedings, he was ordered in January 2001 to be returned to Scotland to face trial.

He was jailed for life after being found guilty of murder at the High Court in Edinburgh in October 2001.