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| Police issue warning after murderer missing from hospital in Wales | Police issue warning after murderer missing from hospital in Wales |
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| A patient missing from a psychiatric hospital in north Wales is a convicted murderer who is at risk of becoming “unpredictable” without his medication, police have said. | |
| A nationwide search has been launched for Richard Bracken, 48, who left Bryn y Neuadd hospital in Llanfairfechan, Conwy County, at about 11.30am on Monday for an agreed leave of one hour. | |
| Schools in the village were put on lockdown after Bracken failed to return to the secure unit. North Wales police have warned that he is believed to pose a risk to himself and others, and have discussed additional safety precautions with local headteachers. | |
| Det Supt Mark Pierce, who is leading the search, said: “It is becoming increasingly urgent for us to find Richard Bracken, a convicted murderer, who without his normal medication is at risk of becoming more unpredictable. | Det Supt Mark Pierce, who is leading the search, said: “It is becoming increasingly urgent for us to find Richard Bracken, a convicted murderer, who without his normal medication is at risk of becoming more unpredictable. |
| “Extensive searches of the Llanfairfechan area have so far proved negative and it is possible he may have left the area. Expert search advice has been taken and we continue to assess the situation. Without access to medication and healthcare support, Richard Bracken is believed to pose a potential risk to himself and others. Our intention is to alert people to the situation and not to cause undue alarm.” | “Extensive searches of the Llanfairfechan area have so far proved negative and it is possible he may have left the area. Expert search advice has been taken and we continue to assess the situation. Without access to medication and healthcare support, Richard Bracken is believed to pose a potential risk to himself and others. Our intention is to alert people to the situation and not to cause undue alarm.” |
| Bracken is described as 6ft, of heavy build with short brown hair and a stubbly beard. He was last seen wearing white trainers, a blue shirt, grey striped jumper, blue jeans and a green coat. | Bracken is described as 6ft, of heavy build with short brown hair and a stubbly beard. He was last seen wearing white trainers, a blue shirt, grey striped jumper, blue jeans and a green coat. |
| He was formerly known as Richard Dennick and was convicted of the murder of Canon Alan Jones, the vicar of Llanberis, in 1982. He used a broken billiard cue, a heavy metal ornament and a knife to repeatedly attack the 64-year-old clergyman in his home, stabbing him several times in the neck, arm and chest. | |
| A judge described Bracken as “evil” and he was sentenced life in prison. Six years into this sentence, he escaped from the hospital wing of Lewes Prison in Sussex and was on the run for six months. He was later found in Wormwood Scrubs under a false name and returned to a category A prison, before being transferred to a secure hospital for treatment. | |
| Local MP Guto Bebb said Bracken had been in care in Llanfairfechan for some time. “He has been on visits to the town – it’s part of the process of preparing him for release. But clearly yesterday something went wrong and the individual has disappeared,” Bebb told the Daily Post. | |
| Lorna Williams, 27, from Llanfairfechan, told the paper earlier on Tuesday: “I’m absolutely petrified. The police have told us nothing, which is more of a concern. I didn’t even feel safe letting my 11-year-old daughter walk to school on her own today like she normally would. | |
| “I even had to stop cleaning this morning because I was constantly looking over my shoulder. I’ve had to lock all my windows and doors. If it wasn’t for me looking on Facebook, I wouldn’t have known he was missing.” | “I even had to stop cleaning this morning because I was constantly looking over my shoulder. I’ve had to lock all my windows and doors. If it wasn’t for me looking on Facebook, I wouldn’t have known he was missing.” |
| Other residents said they were concerned for Bracken’s safety. Carol Griffiths, a shopkeeper, said: “I know him from coming into the shop, I’ve served him a few times and he’s always very friendly. I’m not worried that he is missing from the secure unit, I’m more concerned about his welfare. | Other residents said they were concerned for Bracken’s safety. Carol Griffiths, a shopkeeper, said: “I know him from coming into the shop, I’ve served him a few times and he’s always very friendly. I’m not worried that he is missing from the secure unit, I’m more concerned about his welfare. |
| “You get to know customers when they come in, and he seems OK. It hasn’t made me feel less safe walking to work at seven in the morning like I usually do.” | |
| Angela Hopkins, director of nursing at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, said there was concern for Bracken’s safety. She said: “He failed to return to ... after an hour’s unescorted leave in Llanfairfechan yesterday lunchtime.“Any decision to allow community leave is only taken after a full risk assessment by medical staff and with the consent of Ministry of Justice officials under delegated authority.”Hopkins added that Bracken has family connections in Essex. | |
| Anyone who sees Bracken should not approach him, but should immediately contact police on 0800 096 1011. |