Two carers found guilty of murdering missing woman Margaret Fleming racked up a legal aid bill of more than £75,000 by refusing to admit their guilt.
Edward Cairney, 77, and Avril Jones, 59, were convicted of killing Margaret, 19, between December 1999 and January 2000.
Their crime only came to light when Jones made a benefits claim on her behalf in October 2016.
A massive police investigation was launched but they found no trace of missing Margaret and the pair were charged with murder.
Following a seven-week trial at the High Court in Glasgow , jurors convicted the pair of killing and found Jones guilty of pocketing £182,000 worth of benefits.
It has now emerged that the couple have so far cost taxpayers £75,337.08 as they fought the charges against them.
The total figure could still rise once final bills from legal teams are settled after they are sentenced next month.
Officials have revealed Jones defence teams received £53,397.08 in legal aid while Cairney's bill was £21,940.
After the false benefit claim was made in 2016, a huge search was launched to find Margaret but there had been no independent sighting of her since a family party in 1999.
She had gone to live with the pair following the death of her lawyer father in 1995.
In evidence, Cairney claimed Margaret was still alive, had fled when police raided their dilapidated Seacroft property in Inverkip, Inverclyde, and regularly returned to collect her benefit money.
He also said that she was now a 'gangmaster' and travelled across Europe on a false passport despite having learning difficulties.
They also created bogus diary entries and letters to suggest Margaret had left voluntarily but benefits continued to be paid into Jones' account unchecked by officials.
Earlier this week it emerged that prosecutors are pursuing the couple for £182,000 through proceeds of crime legislation.
The pair's original trial was deserted last October but they were successfully prosecuted at the second trial which began in April.
A Scottish Legal Aid Board spokesman said: "Legal aid is paid directly to lawyers to represent people accused of serious crimes, including those viewed as being of an abhorrent nature, to help ensure a jury can reach an appropriate verdict in a timely manner.
"Costs will inevitably be higher when trials are deserted and restarted due to the additional fees payable to solicitors and advocates."
