Escaped child murderer John Clifford captured by Gardaí in Bray

Clifford was jailed for life for the murder of his eight-year-old niece back in 1988.

Convicted criminal John Clifford has been captured by police following his escape from a Belfast prison last week. Clifford, who never returned after being permitted release from Maghaberry Prison for an "appointment", was seized in Bray on Tuesday after locals recognised him while availing of help from a homeless charity. “Unlawfully at large prisoner John Clifford has been arrested by police in the Newry area and is currently being returned to prison," the PSNI wrote in a statement. As Clifford's capture happened in the Republic of Ireland, Gardaí did not have the power of arrest due to an international warrant not being issued. Because of this, they held Clifford in custody until they could hand him over to their counterparts in Newry, who then arrested the 56-year-old. “I would like to thank our An Garda Síochána colleagues for their assistance in locating Mr Clifford and facilitating his return to Northern Ireland," Detective Inspector Michael McDonnell added. "I would also like to thank those members of the public who contacted us with information and the media for their assistance in publicising our appeals for information.” He was jailed for life for the murder of his eight-year-old niece Sue Ellen Clifford back in 1988. He was also convicted of other charges including cruelty to children and indecent assault. He was reportedly released from prison in 2005 but jailed again in 2007 for breaching the terms of his probation. Main image via Department of Justice