Murderer William Kerr absconds from HMP Hollesley Bay

William "Billy" Kerr, 56, was reported missing from HMP Hollesley Bay, near Woodbridge

A murderer, who sparked a manhunt two years ago when he ran away from a bail hostel, is being sought by police after absconding from an open prison.

William Kerr, 56, an inmate at HMP Hollesley Bay, near Woodbridge, Suffolk, went missing at about 15:00 GMT.

He was jailed for life in 1998 for the murder of Maureen Comfort in Leeds.

In April 2015, he absconded from a bail hostel in Hull sparking a major police hunt and an appeal on BBC Crimewatch.

Maureen Comfort was found strangled to death in a cupboard at her flat in Leeds in 1996

Kerr, who strangled Ms Comfort to death in 1996, was arrested in the Waterloo area of London at the end of April 2015.

Suffolk Police issued an appeal to trace him on Friday after he failed to return to a rendezvous point in Ipswich where he had been released for a few hours.

Kerr is described as white, 5ft 7ins (1.7m) tall, with blue eyes, black hair and a thin build. He speaks with a Scottish accent.

HMP Hollesley Bay is an open prison

He is described as having "bad teeth", with tattoos on his left and right arms, left wrist and one on his right hand saying "Les".

When last seen he was wearing blue jeans and a blue North Face puffer jacket with an orange logo.

Police advised members of the public not to approach him.