A YEAR-long manhunt for an escaped prisoner has come to an end after he was found by off-duty police officers in London in a foot chase.

Myley Connors, 25 from Tallaght, Ireland, escaped from HMP Channings Wood in Devon on 8 April 2019, and had been on the run for almost 12 months.

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He was jailed to eight and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary and possessing criminal property.

Connors had burgled 18 homes across Bracknell, Wokingham, Reading and Hampshire, totalling more than £76,000 worth of family gold, jewellery and other valuables stolen.

He used a stolen car to carry out the burglaries as well as causing more than £3,000 worth of damage.

He was sentenced for his role in a wider conspiracy to commit 54 residential burglaries across England.

Four months into his prison sentence in April last year, Connors escaped from HMP Channings Wood after scaling a perimeter fence and making a getaway in a stolen car, with help from his accomplices on the outside.

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The manhunt continued and on Wednesday, March 18, he was arrested in London by off duty Metropolitan Police officers.

The two off duty officers were driving home from work on the A3 in Wandsworth at around 6am when they stopped at the scene of a crash.

A stolen high performance Audi S3 had been driven the wrong way up the A3 dual-carriageway and had collided with oncoming traffic and the central reservation.

When the off duty police officers identified themselves, Connors and another man made off on foot, jumping the central reservation and running through oncoming traffic on the dual carriageway. The off duty officers chased the men and Connors was subsequently detained.

Once identified as wanted for escaping from prison, he was arrested and charged the same day with absconding from lawful custody.

He appeared at Reading Crown Court on Tuesday, July 7, where he pleaded guilty to the offence.

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Today, July 23, Connors appeared again via video link from HM Prison Belmarsh, where he was sentenced to a further period of imprisonment.

The one year and three months’ sentence will run consecutively to the sentence he received for his original crimes.

Additionally, Laurence Connors, 28, from Tallaght, Ireland, was convicted for his part in the original burglary conspiracy on 7 July 2020 and was sentenced to a total of seven years’ imprisonment.

Senior Investigating Officer Detective Chief Inspector Mike Bettington of Thames Valley Police, said: “The professionalism and swift actions of our colleagues from the Metropolitan Police has led to the capture and imprisonment of a prolific offender, who escaped from prison in Devon just four months into an eight and a half year sentence.

“Since Connors absconded from prison, a nationwide manhunt for him has been ongoing, led by a team from Thames Valley Police under Operation Ollivander.

“The swift actions of the off duty Metropolitan Police officers is to be highly commended, and Connors will now have to serve an extended prison sentence. He will finally be unable to commit further offences, causing fear and harm to members of our communities.

“I would like to thank all those involved over the past 12 months in the hunt for Connors and his associates, this includes the Garda in Ireland, the Metropolitan Police Service, Devon & Cornwall Police, and of course, our officers from Thames Valley Police.

“This result is further evidence of how forces work together to tackle crime and bring offenders to justice, and however long it takes, we will catch up with them.”