Jeremy Brabrooke: Absconded murderer spotted in church

Brabrooke was seen at the church on 16 November

A convicted murderer who absconded from an open prison has been spotted at a church in Hampshire, police have said.

Jeremy Brabrooke, 56, went missing from HMP Ford, near Littlehampton, West Sussex, on 14 November.

He was last seen on CCTV at St Faith's Church in Havant on 16 November and police have released the images to help trace him.

Brabrooke was given a life sentence in 1988 for murdering a 59-year-old woman in Bingley, West Yorkshire.

Sussex Police said Brabrooke was known to have links to Hayling Island and Portsmouth in Hampshire. Anyone who spots him should call 999, the force added.

A spokesman for the Prison Service said: "These incidents are rare and nearly all are returned to custody very quickly, where they face more time behind bars.

"We are working closely with the police to recapture the individual."

Jeremy Brabrooke absconded on 14 November

In the 12 months up to March, 20 inmates absconded from HMP Ford, according to Ministry of Justice figures. Of those, 11 returned to the prison within 30 days.

In 2014, the BBC discovered that 89 inmates who had gone missing from Ford were unaccounted for..