Convicted murderer back in prison after absconding from custody

McCord was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2004 for the murder of 26-year-old Nichola Dickson.

The 54-year-old, who was on licence, was in the custody of prison staff at a property in the Crumlin Road area of north Belfast on Friday when he absconded.

On Saturday, police confirmed they were working to locate McCord, who “was unlawfully at large” and last seen on the Castlereagh Road at around 4.30pm wearing a green jacket, black tracksuit bottoms and was carrying a red carrier bag.

Police issued an appeal for the on-the-run prisoner to turn himself in and the manhunt ended when he was apprehended in the Belfast area on Sunday before McCord was later returned to prison.

While McCord has been located, Dean Michael Woods – who beat a man's head in at the Ballysally estate outside Coleraine – has been "unlawfully at large" since at least Tuesday.

Woods is aged 46, slim, 5ft5ins, and has a heart tattoo on his chest and a "tribal line tattoo" on his upper left arm.

Exactly how he went "unlawfully at large" is not clear.

His prison is listed as Maghaberry, and he was on "pre-release testing".

He had been given a life sentence for murder, meaning he is liable to being called back into prison if he reoffends at any point in his life.

In January 1997, he was convicted of murdering Brian Peden in December 1995.

Prior to the murder, Woods had got into an argument with another man over Woods' mistreatment of a puppy.

Days later this other man was confronted by a trio of men – including Woods – in an alleyway. Brian Peden happened to be with him at the time and was beaten.

Woods (who was 18 at the time) hit Mr Peden in the head with a golf club, continuing to beat him while he was on the ground.

He was convicted of murder and ordered to serve at least 15 years, with a judge saying there was "no doubt you were the principal instigator and participant in this attack".

Woods had four previous convictions too – assault, vehicle theft, ABH and GBH – and the judge added that Woods had failed to "turn back from the life of crime for which you had been dealt with previously by the courts in a lenient way".

Seperately, an attempted hijacker called Lee Price, 25, has also revealed to be on the loose.

Price was convicted in relation to attempted hijacking following an incident in September 2021.

He has since breached the conditions of his release from prison on licence.

He is described as being approximately 5ft 11in tall, of medium build, with ginger hair and blue eyes.

It is unclear when or how he disappeared.

The PSNI said: "Despite attempts to arrest Price, police have so far been unable to locate him. We are appealing to anyone who has seen him, or who knows of his whereabouts, not to approach him directly but to contact police on 101 quoting reference 1425 of 06/01/23…

"Police would also appeal directly to Lee to hand himself in."