Escaped killer on the run

Updated 18.37 Fri May 16 2008

Police are hunting an escaped convict who was jailed after cutting a man's head off.

The public are being warned not to approach John Bowden, 51, who was given a life sentence in 1982 for murdering park keeper Donald Ryan.

The public are being warned not to approach John Bowden, 51, who was given a life sentence in 1982 for murdering park keeper Donald Ryan

With two accomplices, Bowden lured Mr Ryan to a flat to rob him and them mutilated him while he was still alive using a handsaw, an electric carving knife and a machete.

His severed head was stored in a fridge before being dumped in a dustbin and parts of his body were hidden on waste ground and streets near the flat in Camberwell, south London.

During the trial the judge, Mr Justice Mars-Jones, said: "There was never a more terrible case of murder than this one."

Bowden was ordered to serve a minimum of 25 years in prison for the murder.

But he went on the run from Maidstone prison in 1992 during a compassionate visit to his sick father.

He was recaptured and transferred to Scotland, where he was held at a number of jails before being transferred to Noranside open prison in Angus in 2007.

Police said Bowden was being tested in "open condition" when he failed to return to the prison on Thursday.

He was last seen near the Tesco store in Castle Street in the nearby town of Forfar.

A Scottish Prison Service (SPS) spokesman said the public should not approach Bowden, who is originally from south London.

The spokesman added: "John Bowden is unlawfully at large. If anyone is aware of his whereabouts, they should contact the police."

Bowden, who was due to be considered for parole later this month, is described as 5ft 7in, of medium build with grey or white receding hair, blue eyes and a tattoo on his right arm that reads "Ireland the Brave".

The SPS said it believed Bowden had been transferred from England as he was in a long-term relationship with a woman living in Scotland.

A spokesman added: "Obviously, the offence that he committed was horrific, but he did it 25 years ago and under preparing people for release he would be a low-category prisoner."