'Dangerous' British murder suspect sought after prison van ambush

Published November 20, 2014

A "dangerous" British prisoner escaped Monday after a prisoner transport vehicle was ambushed on the way to a central England court.

Murder suspect John Anslow was en route from Hewell prison in Redditch to Stafford Crown Court at around 8:20 a.m. local time when the prison van was forced to stop by a car.

Masked men brandishing sledgehammers smashed the van's windshield before attacking the driver, West Mercia Police said.

"Three men wearing balaclavas [ski masks], two of whom were carrying sledgehammers, got out of a silver Volkswagen Scirocco, and smashed the windscreen [windshield] and driver's window of the GEO Amey prison escort van," Detective Inspector Jon Marsden said.

The driver was punched during the incident but was not seriously injured, Marsden said.

The attackers freed Anslow -- one of three prisoners in the prison vehicle at the time -- before speeding off with him and apparently switching their car for a silver Mercedes in nearby Bromsgrove, soon after the ambush, police said.

Anslow, 31, was last week charged with the murder of father-of-two Richard Deakin, who was shot dead in his home in Burntwood, around 40 miles from Redditch, in 2010.

Another four men also were charged with the murder of the 27-year-old businessman.

"Anslow has recently been charged with murder and is considered dangerous," Marsden added. "We are working closely with our colleagues from West Midlands and Staffordshire Police forces and a large number of officers from all three forces are involved in the search for him."

Hewell prison houses more than 1,400 inmates across three blocks holding Category B prisoners -- those who do not require maximum security conditions but are still considered a flight risk -- and lower category C and D prisoners.

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