Manhunt after two men escape from Pentonville prison

Two prisoners who escaped from Pentonville prison in north London have been named as James Whitlock and Matthew Baker.

The pair reportedly used diamond-tipped cutters to break through cell bars.

A manhunt has been launched to find the men, who are understood to be cell mates.

Baker, 28, was found guilty of attempted murder two weeks ago having stabbed a man in Dagenham, east London, after a dispute.

He was due to be sentenced on Friday 11 November.

Whitlock, 31, was on remand having been charged with conspiracy to burgle in relation to 19 thefts from ATMs in the south-east of England between December 2015 and August 2016.

They reportedly stuffed their beds with pillows in the shape of bodies to fool prison staff, who only discovered their escape this morning.

Once they broke out of their cell, they are said to have scaled the perimeter wall at the prison.

A woman who visited the prison said an inmate had told her the two prisoners escaped through a cell window on the fifth floor.

The Ministry of Justice has not yet given details of what happened.

Pentonville is a category B Victorian prison which opened in 1842.

It holds more than 1,200 adult men.

Former justice secretary Michael Gove last year singled out the prison as "the most dramatic example of failure" within the estate.

Last month inmate Jamal Mahmoud, 21, died after being stabbed at the jail in an attack which left two others injured.

The killing of the young father prompted calls for an inquiry into the state of prisons in England and Wales, with his family accusing the jail of "neglecting him".

In 2012, convicted murderer John Massey escaped from Pentonville by climbing over a wall using a makeshift rope made out of bed sheets.

Whitlock is described as a white man of slim build and he has the word "Tracy" tattooed on his torso.

Baker is described as a white man with ginger hair.

Detectives say they do not know what clothing either had on when they escaped.

• Anyone with information is asked to call 999 and to not approach either man as they could become violent, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.