Murderer on run from prison in Northern Ireland

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A murderer is on the run after escaping while on day release from a prison in Northern Ireland.

Samuel McKinley, 57, was serving a life sentence for stabbing a man to death while living in Southampton in 1996.

He absconded after being granted unescorted day release from Maghaberry Prison, Lisburn, on Thursday.

Police appealed on Twitter for help tracing McKinley, whose two sons are also convicted killers.

It is believed to be the fifth time he has gone missing while on temporary release from prison.

The third disappearance took place in December 2014, just a few days after his sons Jonathan and Sam were jailed for at least 28 years for the murder of newsagent Choudhry Zishan in Eastleigh, Hampshire.

He was arrested the following month when he was admitted to a hospital in the Republic of Ireland with chest pains.

McKinley also briefly absconded earlier this year before being returned to prison.

A spokesman for the Northern Ireland Prison Service said: “Mr McKinley had been returned to custody in February of this year following the revocation of his licence.

“Since his return to custody Mr McKinley has been granted four previous periods of temporary release, in response to recommendations from the Parole Commissioners.

“The Northern Ireland Prison Service are working with the Police Service of Northern Ireland to return this prisoner to lawful custody.

“The Prison Service cannot hold people indefinitely and pre-release testing is a vital component in preparing prisoners for release back into society.”

McKinley, who is originally from Shankill, Belfast, is known to have connections in East Belfast and the Ards peninsula area.

Police described him as being around 5ft 10in tall, of a heavy build and with a fresh complexion.

Additional reporting by Press Association.