Hertfordshire policeman Frank Mason: James Hurley appeals against murder conviction

PC Frank Mason (left) was shot in the back by James Hurley outside a bank

A robber jailed for life for killing an off-duty policeman has begun his appeal against conviction.

James Hurley, 53, was one of three men convicted for the murder of PC Frank Mason in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, in 1988.

The Court of Appeal heard that his case would claim he was coerced into taking part in the robbery of a Securicor van.

The appeal judges said a full two-day hearing would take place, but no date was set.

PC Mason, who was 28, was shot during the robbery outside a Barclays Bank on 14 April.

On the run

Hurley was a getaway driver and was jailed for life in 1989 for shooting the policeman in the back.

His accomplices Perrie Warrie and Charlie McGhee were also jailed for life for murder, but McGhee has since died in jail.

Hurley escaped custody while being transferred between prisons in 1994 and was on the run until his arrest in The Netherlands in 2007.

He was extradited and returned to the UK prison system in 2011.

The appeal court in London heard that his case would focus on "fresh evidence" from witnesses which may support his case that he was coerced into taking part in the robbery by McGhee.

Lord Justice Treacy told the court he could remember the case: "This case is sort of a walk down memory lane; it looks like it will be an interesting appeal," he said.