Convicted murderer on run, Arnold Pickering, arrested

Officers from Merseyside Police have confirmed convicted murderer Arnold Pickering was arrested at an address in Oldham at 11.45am. Pickering, 44, was jailed for 17 years for stabbing a man to death in Oldham in the 1990s.

Convicted murderer Arnold Pickering, 44, who failed to return to prison after leaving on day release on Saturday has been arrested for being unlawfully at large, Merseyside Police said.

Read: Convicted murderer on run from prison for third time

The UK has come to "care more about the human rights of murderers" than the victims bereaved relatives, according to a Conservative MP.

Philip Davies raised concerns that letting convicted criminals out on day release was not transparent enough and violent criminals were kept in prisons lacking the kind of security needed to keep them behind bars.

He told Good Morning Britain: "It seems the human rights of murderers seem more important than those of the victims and the law abiding citizens."

The chairman of the Prison Officers Association (POA) has said that the organisation has complained "for years" about "overcrowding in the prison estate".

The comments were made following revelations that convicted murderer Arnold Pickering has gone on the run from prison for the third time.

• Read: Convicted murderer on run from prison for third time

Merseyside Police said that officers from Lancashire Constabulary had arrested a 51-year-old man for being unlawfully at large last night.

The man, who was not named, was arrested in Blackburn, Lancashire, at around 9.15pm.

Inquiries to locate Pickering were continuing.

More: Criticisms after prisoners abscond

Overcrowding and slashed staffing levels in prisons are putting the public at risk, shadow justice secretary Sadiq Khan after police reported a convicted murderer had absconded from prison for the third time.

Arnold Pickering, 44, from Chadderton, Greater Manchester, failed to return to HMP Kennet in Maghull, Merseyside, after leaving the Category C jail on day release at about 9.30am yesterday.

Mr Khan said: "The top priority is for the authorities to catch these two men as quickly as possible. This further incident, coming only a matter of weeks after the Michael Wheatley fiasco, will cause the public huge concern.

"The government still haven't answered the big questions about whether public safety is being put at risk by letting the wrong prisoners out on temporary release".

A convicted murderer, who has gone on the run from prison for the third time, was one of eight prisoners taking part in a controversial scheme run by the Prison Service with Enterprise Manchester - which emptied the bins for Manchester Council at the time.

Pickering last absconded in December 2009 when he was let out on day release from HMP Kirkham to work on the bins in Manchester city centre.

Read: Police hunt murderer and robber who abscond from jail

Another inmate, Thomas Moffett, 51, from Blackburn, Lancashire also failed to return from day release yesterday.

Prisons Minister Jeremy Wright has said the current system for allowing prisoners out on temporary licence is "too lax", after a murderer and a robber failed to return to their prison in Liverpool.

Wright said he will make "major changes" to address the shortfalls in the system.

He said: "There will shortly be significant restrictions on who is granted temporary release – which from now on must be earnt – tightening up of monitoring arrangements and abolishing any leave without a clear link to rehabilitation."

Read: Police hunt murderer and robber who abscond from jail

A convicted murderer has gone on the run from prison for the third time, while a man sentenced for a number of robberies has absconded from the same prison.

Arnold Pickering, 44, from Chadderton, Greater Manchester, failed to return to HMP Kennet in Maghull, Merseyside, after leaving the Category C jail on day release at about 9.30am yesterday.

Another inmate, Thomas Moffett, 51, from Blackburn, Lancashire, who is serving an indeterminate sentence for a number of robberies carried out in his home town in 2006, also failed to return from day release yesterday.