Hunt on for murderer missing from Tardebigge jail

Buy photos » Gilbert has been missing since Saturday (September 22). s

THE HUNT is on for a convicted murderer who failed to return to HMP Hewell after being out on day release.

David William Gilbert was due to be back at the jail by Saturday (September 22), but never returned and has not been seen since.

Gilbert, who is originally from Penzance, was convicted of the murder of his partner in 1997.

He was near the end of his sentence and it is thought he may now be in Redditch, Worcester or Birmingham.

Officers believe Gilbert will have travelled by train.

He has relatives and friends across Devon and Cornwall, but has not seen them in recent years.

Gilbert is 56, 5ft 10ins tall and of average build. He has balding brown hair, blue eyes and a Cornish accent. He was wearing an Umbro T-shirt, a blue Next jacket, blue Henri Lloyd jeans, and black Timberland boots when he went missing.

Det Insp Robert Bruce, of West Mercia Police, said the force was working closely with those in Devon and Cornwall in a bid to find Gilbert and were currently assessing what kind of risk he posed to the public.

"It should be borne in mind that he was detained in an open part of the prison and was therefore deemed by the Prison Service to be of low risk.

"Although he was serving a life sentence for murder, he was being considered for parole and the circumstances of the murder lead us to believe he is not considered to be a risk to the general public.

"However, he may pose a risk to those he develops a relationship with.

"We urge anyone who sees Gilbert not to approach him but to contact police immediately on 0300 333 3000.

"Furthermore, we would ask anyone who may be helping him or sheltering him to contact us."

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