AN IRISHMAN who escaped from a British prison in 1955 could be marking a record-breaking six decades on the run, if he is still alive.
John Patrick Hannan was 22 when he escaped from the Verne Prison on the Isle of Portland, off the Dorset coast, in December 1955.
This year, his record-breaking escape surpasses that of infamous British train thief Ronnie Biggs, who was on the run for 36 years.
The young John Hannan was sentenced to 21 months in prison at the Old Bailey in 1955 for car theft and the assault of two police officers.
Hannan made his escape with fellow inmate Gwynant Thomas after just 30 days of incarceration.
The pair use knotted bedsheets to scale the wall of the jail wearing the standard-issue grey overalls from the Verne.
They broke into a nearby petrol station and stole coats to disguise themselves and, while Mr Thomas was caught after just 24 hours, Mr Hannan managed to evade the police to this day.
Dorset Police officially gave up looking for Mr Hannan in the 1990s, after a last-ditch attempt to find out information on his whereabouts yielded no results in 1998.
If he is still alive today, Mr Hannan would be 82 years old. Dorset Police stated in the 1990s that they believe he made his way back to Ireland to live out the remainder of his days in hiding.
Dorset Police believe he made his way back to Ireland to live out the remainder of his days in hiding.
While his status is not known, he has not been registered as dead anywhere in Ireland or Britain – so he is de facto the most successful fugitive in the world.
The previous record of 45 years and 11 months was held by US prisoner Leonard Fristoe, who escaped from state prison in Carson City, Nevada after being jailed on double-murder charges.
Ronnie Biggs, renowned for his part in the Great Train Robbery in 1963, managed to elude the authorities for 36 years before eventually handing himself in.
John Hannan’s life in exile is the longest on record if he is still alive – numbering an astonishing six decades.
Anyone with information on Mr Hannan can contact any police station in Britain to tip off police.
See More: Featured, John Hannan, Verne Prison
