Man who threatened to kill all black people escapes prison during car valet shift

A criminal is on the run after escaping from prison while working as a car valet.

Attempted murderer John Laidlaw broke free from Kirklevington Grange Prison in Stockton-on-Tees on Monday.

The 44-year-old was reported missing to police at 4.30pm.

The former boxer had ‘threatened to kill all Black people’ during an attack in London which landed him in prison.

He was last seen wearing a navy blue sweatshirt, blue cargo style trousers and white and blue trainers.

He had ‘regularly been on day release from the prison unsupervised’ during his shifts at its car valet service, which is open to the public.

It was following one of these shifts – shortly after 2pm – that he first went missing.

Laidlaw, from Hertfordshire, was jailed for three counts of attempted murder in 2007 after he opened fire near Finsbury Park tube station in North London the previous year.

A court heard at the time that the former boxer ‘threatened to kill all Black people’ during the attack.

He shot social worker and father-of-three Abu Kamara in the neck before aiming at 22-year-old Evans Baptiste, who had chased him down the street.

The bullet only grazed Baptiste and hit Emma Sheridan, 26, in the back.

Three weeks prior, Laidlaw admitted to the attack of a Black motorist. At his trial at the Old Bailey, he was also found guilty of two firearms charges at his trial 

Cleveland Police are now scouring the area with dogs and drones and working through CCTV footage in a bid to find the escapee.

Supt John Wrintmore said: ‘John is not from the area so at the moment we have no indication where he may be headed, or if he may have travelled from Yarm train station, either north or south.’

He added: ‘Anyone who thinks they might have seen John is asked not to approach him, but to dial 999.’

The Ministry of Justice has been contacted for comment.

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