A man who escaped a prison van while on his way to Lancaster Magistrates Court has been spotted across the region, with police urging the public to help them locate missing Jamie Cooper
Sightings of the man who escaped a prison van by overpowering the guards and fleeing down the motorway have been reported across Greater Manchester. Police are continuing to appeal to the public for help in locating escapee Jamie Cooper, as their search enters its third day.
The 33-year-old was being transported to Lancaster Magistrates Court on Wednesday morning alongside other prisoners when the prison van was forced to pull over due to an apparent medical emergency. After escaping from custody, a video circulated by the BBC shows Cooper running across a field parallel to the motorway, looking over his shoulder.
A spokesperson for GEOAmey said: “Whilst in transit to Lancaster Magistrates’ Court the vehicle had to pull over on the M55 in the Catforth area to deal with an on-board medical emergency. The detained person involved in this emergency then overpowered and evaded the escort officers and escaped from the vehicle.”
In the time since, Cooper has been sighted across Greater Manchester and the wider north west, with the police receiving reports of the man in Bolton, Preston, and Blackpool. The last confirmed sighting of the escapee was on Thursday morning in Blackpool, but with the man still on the loose, Lancashire Police have circulated another image to help locate Cooper.
The fresh image of Cooper, 33 and from Blackpool, shows him being taken from police custody to the GEOAmey van that he later escaped from. He is described as being 5ft7ins, with a medium build and cropped short hair.
He was last known to be wearing black trainers, blue jeans, a grey top, and a blue coat, which he can be seen wearing in the newly released custody photo. The police have also revealed that he has also links to Bolton as well as Blackpool.
Lancashire Police said in an update on Thursday night: “At 8:54am yesterday morning (Wednesday, March 19) we received a report of a man absconding from a GEOAmey vehicle taking prisoners from Blackpool custody to Lancaster Magistrates Court. This happened on the M55, near to Junction 2, close to Catforth.
“The last confirmed sighting of Cooper, 33, was in the early hours of Thursday morning in Blackpool. There have also been sightings in Preston and in Bolton on Wednesday afternoon.”
Members of the public are being urged to not approach Cooper but call 999 and report the sighting immediately. Any other assistance that the public can offer can be submitted through 101, quoting the reference number 0237 of March 19.
Lancashire Police also said: “As our search for Cooper continues, we want to reassure you that we are committed to finding Cooper and bringing him to justice.
“We have a dedicated team of both uniformed officers and detectives searching for Cooper and running an investigation. You may see them out and about as they continue to conduct these enquiries and if you have any concerns or information, please do approach them.”