New CCTV released in hunt for absconded murderer
While efforts to find him continued, CCTV footage was released showing a murderer who escaped from an open prison walking on the streets of the city days later.
The three men failed to return to HMP Leyhill in South Gloucestershire on New Year’s Day; There was new footage showing Daniel Washbourne, 40, and convicted murderer Matthew Armstrong, 35, in Bristol on January 3 and 4.
Aaron Thomas, 39, was arrested Thursday after voluntarily surrendering to police and appeared in court Monday.
Avon and Somerset Police said there had been “many reported sightings” of the men but there was a “significant possibility” they had left the area.
Two men matching the description of the prisoners were seen in Bristol [Avon and Somerset Police]
A photo released by police shows Armstrong and Washbourne heading towards the Stokes Croft area of the city on Ashley Road, Bristol, at around 10:35 GMT on Saturday.
A second CCTV footage shows a man walking along Filton Road and then Gloucester Road North in Filton, stopping at a stop to look at bus timetables at around 9.45am on Sunday.
Police said the man was wearing the same maroon jacket that Armstrong had worn when he left HMP Leyhill and continued walking along the same road, having been seen in the Patchway area between 11.05am and 11.15am.
Matthew Armstrong (left) and Daniel Washbourne escaped from prison on Thursday [Avon and Somerset Police]
Police said detectives were “pursuing other lines of investigation” but could not go into details to avoid disrupting the investigation.
Neither Armstrong nor Washbourne are known to have any connection to the Bristol area and police said they were working with other police forces across the country to trace them.
Armstrong, who has ties to Warwickshire, is described as white, male, approximately 1.90 meters tall, with red hair and scars on his forehead.
Washbourne, who has links to Herefordshire, is described as white, male, around 6ft tall, slim, with brown hair and clean shaven.
A man matching Armstrong’s description was seen walking along Filton Road on Sunday morning. [Avon and Somerset Police]
Police said “immediate actions” were completed after the men were reported to have escaped from prison between 5pm and 8pm on January 1, including marking them as wanted through national police systems.
He added that efforts were being made to contact the victims and the men’s families through other police forces to share the news “as sensitively as possible”.
Armstrong was convicted of murdering grandfather Paul Smith, 54, in Rugby city center in 2009, when he was 18. He was given a term of at least 19 years.
Police said Washbourne was understood to have a previous conviction for violence against a person and false imprisonment.
Follow BBC Bristol Facebook, X And instagram. Send us your story ideas by email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.
