Pictures released of car used in Chasetown murder suspect’s escape

Jan 24, 2012 by Ross

Police have released pictures of a car used in the escape of a man accused of a murder in Chasetown.

A £10,000 reward has also been put up to help trace John Anslow after three men wearing balaclavas threatened staff escorting him to Stafford Crown Court from HM Prison Hewell Grange in Worcestershire.

The 31-year-old from Tipton is one of five men accused of shooting Richard Deakin dead in his Meadway Street home in 2010.

Detective Superintendent Martin Evans said: “Our investigation into finding escaped prisoner John Anslow is continuing to move quickly as we follow several lines of inquiry.

“Staffordshire Police are offering a £10,000 reward for information that leads to Anslow’s arrest and return to prison. We’re hoping that this sizeable reward will encourage those who know where Anslow might be to come forward. All calls will be treated in the strictest confidence.

“Following yesterday’s appeal, we’re looking into several calls which came into to our incident room about possible sightings of the silver Mercedes car used by Anslow and his associates.

“We’re also very keen to speak to anyone who might have seen the silver Volkswagen Scirocco in the wider Bromsgrove or North Worcestershire area prior to the incident at 8.20am yesterday (January 23).

“The Scirocco was abandoned a short distance from the scene before the offenders switched to the Mercedes. A photo of the Scirocco, registration number BT59 NXC, is being made available.

“Last night, search warrants were executed at five homes in the West Midlands area. We’ve recovered some property following these searches and this now being further examined.

“We also arrested a 44-year-old man from the Tipton area last night on suspicion of assisting an offender. He remains in police custody today and is being interviewed.

Staffordshire Police are using online tools to help them track down Anslow.

“Our appeal to trace him is spreading far and wide across social media,” Det Supt Evans added. “So far, we’ve reached over half a million people on Facebook and we’ve asked all other UK forces to run the appeal on their own social media sites.

“We’d continue to remind people that Anslow has been charged with murder and is considered very dangerous. Anyone who sees him should not approach him but should ring 999 immediately.

“We’re directly appealing to friends or associates of Anslow who know where he might be to ring the incident room on 01785 235051. Alternatively, they can call the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

“A dedicated team of Staffordshire detectives is working closely with colleagues from West Mercia and West Midlands police forces. We are also continuing to liaise with other UK forces, the UK Border Agency and authorities in other countries.”