Missing killer Alan John Giles 'seen' in Worcestershire village
A convicted killer who absconded from prison has possibly been seen in Worcestershire, police said.
Alan John Giles, who left HMP Hewell, near Redditch, Worcestershire, on Monday was reportedly seen in Inkberrow on Thursday night.
Police said they went to the village on Thursday and are there again today.
Giles, 56, was serving two life sentences for murdering and kidnapping a 16-year-old boy in 1995.
Det Ch Insp Paul Judge said there had been several possible sightings of Giles across the South Warwickshire police area and at least one positive sighting was in Inkberrow.Revenge attack
There had been more than one sighting from different sources who had seen a man acting suspicious late at night or early morning, police said.
Officers are visiting caravan sites and making house to house inquiries.
Giles is about 5ft 9in with short, grey hair and blue eyes. He also has a tattoo of an eagle on his back and tattoos of a flower, shark and swallow on his left arm.
"Giles could be sleeping rough in woodland or or farm buildings and we would appeal to dog-walkers, farmers, gamekeepers and others to keep their eyes peeled and stay alert," Mr Judge said.
Police said the 56-year-old should not be approached.
Giles was jailed at Birmingham Crown Court in 1997 for murdering Kevin Ricketts two years earlier.
The former labourer killed the teenager in an apparent revenge attack after his victim's elder sister ended their relationship.
Kevin is believed to have been abducted while going to classes at South Birmingham College in January 1995.
Giles would have been eligible for parole next year.'Rigorously risk assessed'
He absconded from HMP Hewell while being held in an open part of the jail.
Redditch MP Karen Lumley said she was meeting the prison's governor to discuss Giles' disappearance.
She said she expected to be given a full account of what happened in "this very serious case".
A Prison Service spokesman said prisoners were held in open conditions following recommendations by the Parole Board.
"The number of absconds from open prisons in 2012/13 was the second lowest since records began, and all those located in open prisons have been rigorously risk assessed and deemed suitable for open conditions," he said.
"Anyone who does abscond will be returned to a closed prison and may face further criminal charges."