Prisoner 'absconded' after jail car wash shift
Cleveland PoliceA prisoner went missing for 18 hours after working a shift at a jail's car valeting service, police have said.
John Laidlaw, 44, who was convicted of three attempted murders in 2007, disappeared from Kirklevington Grange Prison in Yarm shortly after 14:00 BST on Monday.
Cleveland Police said a search using dogs and drones ended on Tuesday at about 08:00 after Laidlaw was located and arrested.
Laidlaw, who is originally from Hertfordshire, had been on unsupervised day release on a regular basis since moving to Kirklevington in 2024, officers said.
Earlier, while the prisoner was still missing, 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."
