John Patrick Hannan
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HM Prison The Verne
John Patrick Hannan | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1933 |
| Disappeared | 22 December 1955 (aged 21–22) HM Prison The Verne |
| Status | Missing for 70 years, 2 months and 24 days |
| Known for | Successfully escaping HM Prison The Verne |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) |
| Criminal charges | Vehicle theft and assaulting two police officers |
| Criminal penalty | 21 months imprisonment |
| Criminal status | Escaped |
John Patrick Hannan (born 1933) 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.
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
On 22 December 1955, Hannan, with fellow inmate Gwynant Thomas, escaped the prison. Hannan had been there just 30 days. Hannan and Thomas used 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 followed a railway line connecting the isle with the mainland; a tracker dog lost a scent near 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 had been on the run for 16 hours.
Dorset Police (then Dorset Constabulary), attempted to locate Hannan by using roadblocks and tracking dogs, but were unsuccessful.[1][3]