Sudbury prisoner Lee Wheeler absconds from jail

Lee Wheeler was allowed day release but did not return

A convicted killer has absconded from prison after being allowed out on day release.

Lee Wheeler, 33, was let out of Sudbury Prison in Derbyshire on 23 December but did not return, police said.

He has served three years of a nine-and-a-half year sentence after being convicted of the manslaughter of Leon Kerr in Birmingham in 2010, West Midlands Police said.

The force said it believed he may be staying in the Birmingham area.

Det Sgt Neil Aston said police were "following a number of lines of enquiry".

He added: "We are appealing to anyone who knows where Wheeler might be to come forward and contact us as soon as possible."

Mr Kerr's family have been notified.