By Christina O'Neill

A violent thug who was jailed for attempted murder and taunted police on social media while on the run for 13 days has been recaptured.

James Boyle, 24, was reported missing on February 8 after he failed to return to prison following home leave.

Boyle broadcast his antics in a series of pictures on his Instagram profile.

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.

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, he also shared a picture of a Calippo ice lolly, adding "Please help my hangover."

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."

He also 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."

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."

Boyle, who was jailed for attempted murder in 2012, had 24 previous convictions.

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, from Castle Huntly, near Dundee - Scotland's only open prison.

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

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."