Jailed killer Shaun Walmsley lost 25 Kg to fool medics he was ill so he could be sprung from custody during hospital appointment

A convicted murderer who escaped prison after armed thugs forced guards to release him during a hospital visit had lost four stone (about 25 Kg) to fool medics into thinking he was seriously ill. Shaun Walmsley, 28, deliberately lost the weight so he would be taken to hospital and planned his escape for three months, police revealed. He was serving a 30-year jail term for murder when he was sprung by men wielding a gun and a knife at Aintree University Hospital in Liverpool in February.
Merseyside Police have also revealed they believe he began plotting his escape after an appeal against his sentence length was rejected in 2016.  A gold-coloured Volvo, which was used for the escape, was later found abandoned in the Fazakerley area of the city. Walmsley was serving life with a minimum term of 30 years for the murder of Anthony Duffy, 33, in May 2014.
The drug dealing had an appeal against his punishment rejected in late 2016 - leaving the thug facing the prospect of three decades behind bars. He then attempted to lose a lot of weight to give the impression he was ill and needed hospital treatment. The plot was supported by his criminal network of contacts, including the Vale Heads gang. Detectives from Merseyside Police previously revealed how Walmsley used mobile phones smuggled into HMP Liverpool to plot the escape. The accomplices are believed to have waited for 90 minutes outside the hospital before leaving the scene with Walmsley in the Volvo. Detective Superintendent Natalie Perischine told the Guardian the trio then switched to another vehicle, which drove 35 miles to Cheetham Hill in north Manchester. Police believe he obtained new identity documents at the address and have been trying to track him down ever since.
Det Supt Perischine told the Guardian: 'Shaun Walmsley is a convicted killer who was sentenced to life for murder with a tariff of 30 years, he is a cold-blooded murderer and a particularly dangerous individual and we are determined to find him and we will not stop there.
'If you have assisted him in his escape from custody, or are providing him with the means to evade capture, we will come for you too. So think again about what you are doing and where your actions could lead to in the long term. Do the decent thing and let us know where he is.'