The decision to move a Dundee killer to an Irish jail has been slammed in Ireland, with one official saying: “We don’t want him”.

Traveller Patrick Rae was condemned to 20 years in prison after murdering 34-year-old Mary McLaren following a night out at Fat Sam’s nightclub in February 2010.

Rae, 44, was serving his time at Glenochil Prison in Clackmannanshire, but, after reports of him being targeted by fellow cons, he pleaded to be moved closer to family in Ireland. Ministers have now approved the transfer and Mary’s family have already blasted the decision.

Now, a councillor in Rae’s hometown of Longford two hours north-east of Dublin has also slammed the move and insists they don’t want him anywhere near the country.

Independent councillor Gerry Warnock said Rae should serve his whole sentence in Scotland.

He said: “From my perspective, if you do the crime there, then you stay and serve the whole sentence in that country. I have no compassion for him whatsoever. He is a scumbag.

“There’s no way we would want him here. He should stay in Scotland.

“It was in your jurisdiction and he committed the crime against a Scottish person, so why should he be able to move?

“It is right and just that the family of his victim know that he is locked up under their jurisdiction.

“Sure, he would just go into jail here, but it’s not fair to the family of the victim in Scotland.”

Another local councillor in Longford, John Browne, wouldn’t be drawn on whether he supported the action, but insisted it was nothing he or any other councillor had power over. He said: “There was a similar case over here about 12 months ago and he got sent back to his own country.

“This is when government steps in and we don’t have any control over what happens. There’s nothing we can do about it.”

Serial sex offender Rae was caught after CCTV images showed him dancing with Mary and then leaving the nightclub on the same night she disappeared.

Her body was found two weeks later in undergrowth near the Ladywell roundabout in Dundee.