GUILTY UK - Richard Deakin, 27, shot dead in his bed, Staffordshire, 5 July 2010

Police are hunting a dangerous prisoner after he was sprung from a prison van by a gang of masked men armed with knives and sledgehammers earlier today.

John Anslow, who faces a murder charge after a father-of-two was shot dead with a sawn-off shotgun as he lay in bed, was being driven to Stafford Crown Court when the vehicle was ambushed by three men at around 8.20am.

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The gang smashed the windscreen of the GEO Amey escort vehicle before punching the driver and threatening him with a knife.
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The ambush took place on a narrow, secluded road in Tardebigge, just outside Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, shortly after the vehicle had left HMP Hewell Grange.
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It is believed the gang switched to a silver Mercedes.

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The three men then smashed the windows with sledgehammers and punched the driver in the face, before springing 31-year-old Anslow from the back. They sped off before switching to a silver Mercedes with the partial registration KR11, in Stoney Lane, Bromsgrove, soon after the attack.

The Tipton prisoner, charged with the murder of a Staffordshire father, is the first Category A inmate to escape from custody in almost two decades.
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Detectives hunting for Anslow last night executed five search warrants in the Tipton area of the West Midlands and arrested a man in connection with the suspected killer's escape.
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However, police last night said Anslow may already have left the country - despite them issuing an alert to all ports and airports
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badhorsie said:

WOW! Security worker with links to Prison Service arrested over John Anslow jailbreak in Bromsgrove- an inside job

More at local news link

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wfgodot said:

Getting to be a bit of an epidemic as....

Prisoner escapes after gunman threatens female guard outside A&E (Daily Telegraph)

This one's not a Class A offender, at least, "only" one who was sentenced for GBH via hammer attack.

Zounds.

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A SUSPECTED drug dealer escaped from police custody when he was escorted to a Midland hospital by a special constable.

The 18-year-old man attacked the male volunteer cop and a woman police officer, then kicked through a window at City Hospital, in Birmingham, from which he fled on Friday night.

The breakout is the third high profile prisoner escape in a week and follows the nationwide manhunt for Coventry convict Andrew Farndon and Tipton murder suspect John Anslow.
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A murder suspect who's been on the run from the police for six months has become a Facebook 'celebrity' with 1,500 'friends' and a fan page in his honour.

John Anslow, was broken out of a prison van by a gang of balaclava-clad men on his way to court in January - making him the first category A prisoner to escape in 17 years.

The 32-year-old from Tipton, West Midlands - who is believed to have fled to Spain or Northern Africa - broke cover from his hiding place last month to read messages of support from loved-ones and 'fans' and accept 400 news Facebook friends.
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wfgodot said:

Posing with his gun: The murder suspect on the run for six months
with 1,500 Facebook friends and a 'fan page' in his honour (Daily Mail)

much more, with pictures (including one of Anslow swimming with dolphins) at link above

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wfgodot said:

Posing with his gun: The murder suspect on the run for six months
with 1,500 Facebook friends and a 'fan page' in his honour (Daily Mail)

much more, with pictures (including one of Anslow swimming with dolphins) at link above

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A gunman who shot dead a father-of-two as he lay in bed has been jailed for a minimum of 37 years.

David Harrison, 62, from Bilston in the West Midlands, was given a life term at Birmingham crown court on Friday for the murder of Richard Deakin. Harrison's getaway driver, Darryl Dickens, 34, was jailed for life, with a minimum of 30 years, after he was also convicted of the murder...

During the six-week trial, the jury heard that a masked gunman – Harrison – walked into Deakin's home just minutes after his fiancee, Megan, and their two daughters had left for the morning's school run.

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The man accused of organising the murder – 33-year-old Tipton drug lord John Anslow – was yesterday acquitted at Woolwich Crown Court of any involvement...

It is widely accepted the pair were hired to carry out the murder but the hunt for the ‘Mr Big’ is now over. Staffordshire Police said after Anslow’s acquittal that no one else was currently being investigated.

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