A MURDERER and another violent criminal who walked out of Leyhill open prison on New Year’s Day have both been arrested.
Police said Matthew Armstrong, aged 35, was arrested shortly before noon today near Henley-in-Arden railway station in Warwickshire by local police, after a member of the public reported a sighting of him.
Armstrong (above, left) has also been arrested on suspicion of robbery in connection with an incident in a village near Leyhill, which happened at around 6.45pm on New Year’s Eve, the night before he absconded from the open jail.
An Avon & Somerset police spokesperson: “A man had forced his way into a home and threatened the occupants before stealing a mobile phone and a quantity of cash.
“Following this incident, we’ve carried out a number of enquiries, including interviews with the victims and house-to-house enquiries, which have led to Armstrong being arrested on suspicion of committing this offence.”
The other prisoner on the run, 40-year-old Daniel Washbourne (above, right), was arrested at around 1.30am today in Bristol city centre.
Prisoner found with ‘pre-existing injuries’
The spokesperson added: “Washbourne was initially taken to hospital after officers found him with pre-existing injuries but is also now in police custody.”
Washbourne, formerly of Leominster in Herefordshire, was serving a life sentence for violence against a person and false imprisonment, after holding a girl in his home against her will, assaulting her and locking her in a cupboard in 2004.
A third prisoner, aged 39, was arrested by police in Bristol on Saturday and has already been charged with escaping lawful custody.
A police spokesperson said: “We’d like to thank the public for calling in with information and sightings in response to our appeals.”