John Patrick Hannan
Born1933
DisappearedDecember 22, 1955 (aged 21–22)
HM Prison The Verne
StatusMissing for 68 years and 17 days
NationalityIrish
Known forSuccessfully escaping HM Prison The Verne
Height5 ft 7 in (170 cm)
Criminal chargesVehicle theft and assaulting two police officers
Criminal penalty21 months imprisonment
Criminal statusEscaped

John Patrick Hannan is an Irish prison fugitive who holds the record for the longest escape from custody, having escaped HM Prison The Verne, Isle of Portland, Dorset in December 1955, aged 22-years-old.

Prior to the escape

In November 1955 at the Old Bailey, Hannan was sentenced to 21 months imprisonment for stealing a car and assaulting two police officers. He was imprisoned at HM Prison The Verne on the Isle of Portland, Dorset.[1]

Escaping HM Prison The Verne

Entrance to the prison

On December 22 1955, Hannan, alongside fellow inmate Gwynant Thomas, escaped the prison. Hannan had been there just 30 days.

Hannan and fellow inmate Gwynant Thomas escaped the prison by using a knotted bedsheet to climb over the wall. (according to a later interview with a future governor, the wall was 'probably' lower than it is today). The pair went along a railway line that connected the mainland with the isle, with a tracker dog loosing a scent near to Portland naval base.[2]

After escaping, the pair, who were wearing grey prison overalls, burgled a nearby petrol station and stole overcoats, beer, and cigarettes before leaving the isle. The toilet window was later found open by a mechanic.[2]

The pair were spotted by a lorry driver, which led to Thomas' arrest at Kingston Russell, near Dorchester. He'd been on the run for 16 hours.

Dorset Police (then Dorset Constabulary), attempted to locate Hannan by using roadblocks and tracking dogs, however, they were unable to find him.[1][3]

Post escape

Police believe that Hannan fled back to his native Ireland.[4] Assuming he is still alive, Hannan has been on the run for nearly seventy years.[5]

In 1998, Dorset Police appealed directly to Hannan to give himself up, writing in a service newsletter: "If you read this Mr. Hannan please write in, we'd love to hear from you."[6] Whilst Dorset Police reported that they had stopped actively searching for Hannan in 1998, they stated that "considerable interest" would be taken to any information about Hannan's whereabouts.[5]

In 2001, having never been registered as dead (using his correct details), Hannan became de facto world's longest prison fugitive, overtaking the title of Nevadan double killer Leonard Fristoe's record of 45 years and 11 months as a fugitive.[1] Fristoe was imprisoned for double murder in 1920 of a police Constable and a deputy Sherriff in Nevada.[7] Having escaped from Nevada State Prison in 1923, Fristoe lived for nearly 46 years under the alias of Claude R. Willis, before being turned in by his own son in California in 1969, after an argument.[8][3] After serving several years in prison he died of natural causes. Despite holding the record, Hannan will not be added to the Guinness Book of Records unless he is caught or gives himself up.[3]

If Hannan was caught, he could face being charged with the common-law offence of escaping from lawful custody,[9] facing a potential additional sentence and completion of his original 21 month sentence. The Home Secretary would be able to decide whether he should be pardoned.[3]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Lee Moran (4 January 2016). "World's Most Elusive Fugitive Has Now Been On The Lam For 60 Years". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2016-01-05.
  2. 1 2 "Convict to break fugitive record". 2001-11-23. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Thompson, Tony; correspondent, crime (2001-12-30). "Forty-six years on the run for a world record". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  4. ↑ "Prison escapee breaks record held by Ronnie Biggs after fleeing The Verne in 1955". Bournemouth Echo. 2016-01-04. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  5. 1 2 Boyle, Danny. "World's most successful prison fugitive has been on the run for 60 years". Telegraph. Retrieved 2016-01-05.
  6. ↑ "53 years on outside for prison escapee".
  7. ↑ "Constable Arthur J. St. Clair". The Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP). Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  8. ↑ "Longest prison escape". Guinness World Records.
  9. ↑ "escape". Oxford Reference. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
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