Murderer remanded on prison escape charge after 18 months on the run

A convicted murderer displayed a dramatically different look as he appeared in court accused of escaping from prison.

Shaun Walmsley, 29, had shoulder-length brown hair and a full beard when he appeared at Liverpool Magistrates' Court via video-link on Wednesday.

Walmsley, who had previously had a shaved head, was arrested by armed officers in the Harehills area of Leeds on Tuesday afternoon.

He had been on the run for 18 months after fleeing when two men armed with a knife and a gun confronted prison guards outside Aintree University Hospital during a visit from HMP Walton in Liverpool in February 2017.

During the brief court hearing, he spoke to confirm his name and date of birth and that he understood the charge of escape from lawful custody.

No application for bail was made and he was remanded in custody by magistrates.

He will next appear at Liverpool Crown Court on September 19.

In a statement on Wednesday morning, Merseyside Police said: "Escaped prisoner Shaun Walmsley is back in custody following a proactive operation by officers from Merseyside Police and West Yorkshire Police earlier yesterday.

"Walmsley has been charged with escape from lawful custody and will appear at Liverpool and Knowsley Magistrates' Court today."

Walmsley was sentenced to life in June 2015 for his part in the murder of Anthony Duffy.

Mr Duffy, 33, was lured to an address in Aintree in May 2014 and "repeatedly stabbed".

Police had put up a reward of £20,000 of Walmsley's own money after he disappeared from a scheduled hospital appointment on February 21 last year.

The money was seized following his arrest and conviction for the murder.

Detectives also worked with officers from the National Crime Agency and police forces in Europe to locate Walmsley.

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