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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
National
Ellen Kirwin

Murderer behind brutal attack back behind bars after escape from prison

A murderer who escaped from jail has now been caught again.

Paul Gerrard was jailed for taking part in the murder of a vulnerable man with learning difficulties in 2009. Gerrard was 27 when he killed David Argent, 29, of Deansway, Widnes.

The now 36-year-old absconded from HMP Kirkham, Lancashire, in December last year but Cheshire Police have now confirmed that he has been detained again.

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Officers from Cheshire’s Serious and Organised Crime Unit located the fugitive in Irvine, Scotland, on Tuesday, January 17. Gerrard was convicted alongside Gerrard Harper after they lured Mr Argent to a flat in Castlefields in July 2008 and beat him unconscious.

Friends had warned Mr Argent not to go but once there he was brutally attacked as Gerrard and Harper punched him to the ground and stamped on his head. Mr Argent, who had endured a campaign of intimidation in the time leading up to the vicious attack and who grew up in Netherley, Liverpool, lost consciousness and was rushed to hospital where he remained in a coma for eight months until his death.

Gerrard and Harper were convicted of murder after trial at Chester Crown Court and jailed for a minimum of 14 years each in prison. Detective Chief Inspector Ian Murray, of Cheshire Constabulary’s Serious and Organised Crime Unit, said: "Gerrard is a dangerous individual and I welcome the fact that the is now back behind bars where he belongs.

"I’d like to thank all of the officers involved in this manhunt for their dedication, going well beyond the boundaries of Cheshire to keep our communities safe."

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