A violent thug, who was jailed for a murder bid, taunted cops on social media while he was on the run for 13 days after vanishing on home leave.

James Boyle, 24, was reported missing on February 8 after he failed to return to the nick.

The yob was caged for attempted murder in 2012 and has 24 previous convictions.

Glasgow Times:

He was branded a danger to the public by police chiefs after he failed to return to prison, sparking a nationwide manhunt.

Boyle was understood to have travelled to Clydebank, Dunbartonshire, from Castle Huntly, near Dundee -- Scotland's only open prison.

It took cops 13 days to finally catch him in the Glasgow area and he is now due to appear in court.

But while on the loose, the would-be killer bragged about his antics in a series of pictures on his Instagram profile.

He was reportedly holing up in a hotel, according to an unnamed source.

Boyle bragged of a cushy 'hotel date night' with a female friend in one post, tucking into a slap-up meal alongside a bottle of bubbly in an ice cooler.

Another jeering snap mocking police showed him relaxing on the sofa with a pal.

Glasgow Times:

In a later post, Boyle boasted "F*** the system" while flaunting a Range Rover car key, with a swanky white four-by-four vehicle parked in the background.

After his brazen "on the sesh" antics have, he also shared a picture of a Calippo ice lolly, adding "Please help my hangover."

Glasgow Times:

The post was followed by a Chinese dinner which he referred to as "his last supper."

A number of memes he posted hint at his lack of trust in friends, not getting too attached to others and one, featuring MMA fighter Conor McGregor, insisting that "loyalty is everything."

The shameless yob posted another picture which reads "I don't really care what people think about me, I'm just trying to be happy and do my own thing."

Glasgow Times:

A photo he uploaded of actor Mark Wahlberg sticking up the middle finger is also accompanied by the text "F*** every person that took advantage of your kindness and mistook it for weakness."

An unnamed pal said: "It's very in character. He is very immature and always tries to impress people.

"It was a stupid thing to do because he would have been out in six months anyway."

Boyle was jailed for eight years at the High Court in Glasgow in 2012 after stabbing pal Scott Drummond, 24, four times.

Police Scotland issued a statement to the public not to approach him, before officers finally caught him on Tuesday evening.

A spokeswoman for Police Scotland said: "We can confirm that absconder James John Boyle was arrested in the Glasgow area on Tuesday 21 February.

"He will appear at Court in due course."

A spokeswoman for Scottish Prison Service said: "We do not comment on individual prisoners."