A sheriff has blasted security firm Reliance for wasting “tens of thousands of pounds” of public cash after taking a prisoner to Aberdeen Sheriff Court instead of Inverness.

Sheriff Ian Abercrombie demanded a boss of the firm appear before him on Tuesday to explain why inmate Alan Murdoch was late at Inverness Sheriff Court.

The 43-year-old was due to go on trial before a jury accused of a knife attack in Aviemore.

He had been on remand at Aberdeen Prison and the case was set down to start at 10am in Inverness.

But the court had to adjourn for 90 minutes because Murdoch had not arrived.

He eventually appeared in the dock at 11.30am and a jury was selected to hear the case against him.

The sheriff called for a representative from Reliance to appear before him before the case resumed yesterday afternoon.

William Murray, head of the Reliance operation in Inverness, told the sheriff: "I do not have operational responsibility of personnel."

Asked who had responsibility, Mr Murray replied: "Gram Adam."

Sheriff Abercrombie ordered Mr Adam to appear before him at “10am sharp” on Tuesday to provide “a full explanation”.

He said: "I have got to run a court. Forty Inverness citizens [empanelled for jury service] were inconvenienced.

"They have had to take time of work. Businesses have been disrupted and employers have been disrupted.

"It is a matter of pure logistics. I was here at 10am and the Crown was here at 10am."

The sheriff said he had been given information Murdoch had been taken to Aberdeen Sheriff Court instead of Inverness.

His lawyer Forest said: "He was not uplifted until 8.30am and was all round Aberdeen after that."

Sheriff Abercrombie said: "How many tens of thousands of pounds of public money was wasted this morning?"

The trial against Murdoch, described as a prisoner at Aberdeen, eventually got underway on Monday afternoon after a jury had been selected.

The trial continues.