Brutal murderer on the run – but why on earth was he being driven to jail in a taxi?
A GANGLAND murderer was allowed to travel to a hospital appointment in a private taxi before he was sprung from custody by armed accomplices, it emerged yesterday.
Despite stabbing a rival 28 times, drug dealer and crime boss Shaun Walmsley was not ranked as the most dangerous level of criminal – meaning he travelled to and from the hospital in a taxi.
He was accompanied by three prison officers and ‘double-cuffed’ – to an officer as well as in handcuffs himself.
But the three staff, who only had batons for protection, were ambushed by two men armed with a knife, a gun and CS gas, as they tried to take him back to HMP Liverpool.
Walmsley’s accomplices pointed the gun in the face of one guard, while hold- ing the knife to the throat of a second, before demanding the prisoner they were carrying be released.
The trio escaped in a gold Volvo which was later found abandoned half a mile away and had not been re-registered after a private sale two months ago.
Walmsley was taken to Aintree University Hospital in a taxi because he was deemed a less dangerous category B prisoner, unlike the most serious category A prisoners who attend hospital appointments in police vans with cells, often under an armed police escort.
Police across the country were still searching for the ‘extremely dangerous’ convict last night as politicians and the prison officers’ union angrily demanded answers.
Mark Fairhurst, a national executive member of the Prison Officers Association, who works at HMP Liverpool, said: ‘I’m aghast as to why he was not made a category A prisoner.
‘Whoever made the decision not to give Walmsley category A status at the Ministry of Justice is likely to be a very worried person today. He is a murderer serving a 30-year tariff, the judge at his trial described him as a dangerous man and a flight risk, but someone at HQ has decided that that does not warrant category A status. How can that be?’
Walmsley was jailed for life in June 2015 for the murder of rival drug dealer Anthony Duffy, 33, and ordered to serve at least 30 years – but he was allowed to serve his time in a jail just streets from where he grew up in Merseyside.
Liverpool Crown Court heard that Walmsley ran a nationwide criminal network with Christopher Kenny.
Along with two other men, Walmsley and Kenny lured Duffy to his death after learning he planned to steal £60,000 of cannabis from a farm they ran. He was stabbed a total of 28 times and died of his injuries on the way to hospital in May 2014.
Both Walmsley and Kenny were arrested at Manchester Airport trying to flee to Amsterdam following the murder.
It is understood Walmsley, who grew up in Walton, Liverpool, was not sent to another prison further away after his conviction because he was on ‘medical hold’ – meaning he was receiving ongoing treat- ment for an unknown condition. Concerns were raised that Walmsley must have had access to a mobile phone to have got help escaping on Tuesday afternoon.
Mr Fairhurst said: ‘The reduction in staffing levels in prisons means we simply do not have any officers available to do routine or targeted cell searches to prevent or detect mobile phones that are coming in.
‘We’ve been asking for mobile phone blockers to be put in prisons for quite some time, but the Government seem reluctant to do so because of cost.’ He also called for all prison officers to be armed with Tasers and issued with stab vests.
He said: ‘We want our staff to be afforded the same level of protection as constables.
‘The only thing we have at the moment is a baton in our belts, we haven’t got Tasers, or CS gas or stab vests. We should have the same protection as PCs.’
In a direct appeal to the murderer, Detective Superintendent Natalie Perischine, of Merseyside police, said: ‘We will find you, however long it takes, and have you behind bars again.
‘Hand yourself in now while you can because we will not give up the search.’
Joe Anderson, the Mayor of Liverpool, said he was angry and shocked and would be writing to Home Secretary Amber Rudd for an immediate inquiry.
He added: ‘For the people of this city it is an unacceptable breach and lapse of security and we are lucky that the officers were not challenged and the firearm was not discharged in that situation.’
The Ministry of Justice said it was ‘urgently investigating’.
‘Extremely dangerous’ ‘Hand yourself in while you can’