3 Parkhurst prisoners – 2 murderers and a bomber – who went on the run were recaptured at Whippingham on 8th January 1995.
The deadly trio had gripped the Isle of Wight in a state of fear for 5 days after escaping on 3rd January of that year. The trio had broken out using a copy of a master key and a ladder made in the prison workshop.
Killers Keith Rose and Andrew Rodger were caught first, with bomber Matthew ‘Psycho’ Williams cornered 2 hours later.
The 3 fugitives had been making their way along the Old East Cowes Road at the Racecourse when they were spotted by Prison Officer Colin Jones at 19:10.
Jones ran to a phone box to sound the alarm, with over a dozen police cars answering his call. The trio fled across fields. Rose and Rodger were swiftly recaptured.
The dramatic scene was witnessed by 19-year-old Folly barmaid Kelly Barker, who said:
“It was terrifying. I was driving into work when dozens of police appeared from nowhere. 5 vans full of officers raced past me and pulled up suddenly in front.
Article continues below this advertisement “The Police jumped out of the vans and started searching the woods and the fields. I could see their torches shining out.
“It’s a really quiet part of the Island, and I was on my own as I drove the rest of the way down the country lane to work.
“The pub is surrounded by countryside and open fields run down to the river. In the summer it’s busy, but in winter it would be the perfect place to hide.”
The Police are believed to have discovered a shed that the men had used as a hide-out.
Rodger and Rose were swiftly recaptured by Special Constables Mike Carr and Pierre Cornlouer, together with PC Jim Hawkins and his dog Tyson.
Mike Carr – who was a teacher at Carisbrooke High School – said:
“We just happened to be there at the right time. We did not have a proper identification at that time. We were in a patrol unit about a mile-and-a-half from where they had been spotted. We responded at once and found 3 men walking across a roundabout in the direction of East Cowes.
“I arrested one man and two of my regular colleagues arrested the second man, and the third man, Matthew Williams, ran off.
“The escapees were scruffy, untidy, unkempt and looked as though they had been sleeping rough.”
Special PC Cornlouer said:
“I chased Williams through the field. I actually had hold of him at one point, but I fell over, and Williams proceeded across the field. But when the dog handler arrived, and my colleagues, I pointed to where I saw him go.”
200 police were drafted in – together with a spotter plane using a thermal image heat-seeking camera – to search for 25-year-old Williams, considered the mastermind of the escape and the most dangerous of the trio.
Williams was first thought to have made his way to the car ferry terminal at Fishbourne. He was later found at Medina Harbour by PC Tony Woolcock and his dog Bonzo.
PC Woolcock said:
“We gave chase, he jumped into the water, I jumped in after and detained him. I went in up to my neck. I didn’t have time to think what I was doing.
“I didn’t think of the danger to me at that time. It didn’t concern me that he might have been armed.. Luckily, Bonzo jumped in with me and was with me all the way.”
Keith Rose had been jailed for life in 1991 for the murder of Juliet Rowe, wife of a supermarket magnate, in 1991. Andrew Rodger had also been given a life term for the murder of security guard John Garrett in 1985.
Michael Williams had been jailed for life after a 3-year terror campaign after having admitted 11 charges of conspiracy to cause explosions, administering poison and arson. He had placed a nail bomb in a Liverpool Street and attempted to poison his family.
Seems like only yesterday, where have these
30 years gone.