One of Britain’s most wanted criminals has been arrested in Holland after a 13 year hunt.

James Hurley was convicted of murdering an off-duty police officer in 1989 but he managed to escape from prison in 1994 and has evaded the police ever since.

The 45-year-old was apparently arrested in a drugs raid in Holland this week. It seems that his identity became clear after Dutch officers had taken his fingerprints in connection with an unrelated offence.

Hurley will be forced to return to the UK to complete his life sentence. He may also face additional trials for the assault on a prison guard that led to his escape and any further charges laid against him in Holland.

The Metropolitan Police included Hurley in their most wanted list and had offered a £30,000 reward for information leading to his capture.

He was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1989, having been convicted of murder, armed robbery and firearm offences.

Hurley was arrested after an armed robbery of a security van outside Barclays Bank in Hemel Hempstead on April 14, 1988. He was the getaway driver.

Off-duty Hertfordshire Police Constable Frank Mason attempted to intervene in the robbery and was shot in the back as he attempted to arrest one of the suspects. PC Mason died of his injuries and was posthumously awarded the Queens Gallantry Medal for his bravery.

On February 16, 1994 Hurley was being transferred to HMP Wandsworth by bus. As the bus was travelling through South London, Hurley and another prisoner threatened a prison officer with a knife and he managed to escape.

PC Mason’s widow, Jill, said: “I am really pleased to hear the news that Hurley has been caught. It doesn’t bring Francis back, but Hurley needs to serve time for the crime he committed.”

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