Murderer William Kerr arrested after absconding from prison

William Kerr was spotted in Ipswich town centre following a media appeal

A murderer who absconded from an open prison has been arrested.

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

Suffolk Police launched a manhunt after he failed to return to a rendezvous point in Ipswich where he had been released for a few hours.

Kerr, also known as Billy, was jailed for life in 1998 for the murder of Maureen Comfort in Leeds.

She was found strangled to death in a cupboard at her flat.

Maureen Comfort was found strangled to death in 1996

Suffolk Police, which had advised members of the public not to approach Kerr, said he was apprehended after a member of public spotted him in the centre of Ipswich.

"Officers attended immediately and he was taken to Martlesham Police Investigation Centre pending his transfer back to the prison system," the force said.

"Suffolk Police would like to thank everybody who reported potential sightings of him during his absence."

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

He was arrested in the Waterloo area of London at the end of April 2015.