Murder suspect John Anslow is Britain's most wanted

Murder suspect John Anslow was today named the county's most wanted man as the prison van ambush that set him free is set to be featured on BBC's Crimewatch tonight.

Anslow, aged 31 and of Tipton, was sprung from his prison van on Monday in what officers are labelling a "highly organised" armed ambush.

Crimestoppers spokesman Kieran Theivam said the charity had already received "a number" of calls about Anslow.

"Because the investigation is new and is a big operation, it's something people need to see."

Crimewatch will be tonight on BBC One at 9pm.

A 44-year-old Tipton man, who was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender following Anslow's escape as the van made its way to Stafford Crown Court, was released on bail shortly after 9pm yesterday.

Dozens of officers from Staffordshire, West Midlands and West Mercia police forces are working to find Anslow, who was due to face charges of murdering Chasetown father Richard Deakin, former boss of Walsall-based On Time Skips.

Police say they cannot rule out the possibility Anslow may have fled the country. A £10,000 reward is on offer for information that leads to his return to prison. Anyone with information can call 01785 235051, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Police also revealed they have raided two more homes following Anslow's escape after the prison van after left Hewell Grange Prison in Redditch, Worcestershire.

Meanwhile, a separate manhunt was under way today after two prison officers were threatened at gunpoint and forced to release a violent prisoner.

Andrew Farndon, who is serving an indeterminate jail sentence for a brutal hammer attack, made the "planned" escape as he was being escorted to West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, for treatment yesterday.

It is understood the 26-year-old inflicted a serious knife wound on himself in prison, before being taken to the hospital's Accident & Emergency department in a taxi accompanied by two guards.

Upon arrival, a waiting gunman confronted the male and female prison officials and threatened them with his weapon, before fleeing with Farndon across the car park, Suffolk Police said.

Police said they were contacted just after 6.50pm by hospital staff who witnessed the incident. The prison officers, who had travelled from Highpoint prison in Stradishall, near Newmarket, called moments later.

Farndon previously escaped by leaping from the dock at Coventry Crown Court in 2007, but was sentenced in his absence to an indeterminate sentence for public protection (IPP) and told he must serve at least two years before being considered for parole.

He was found guilty of grievous bodily harm after a hammer attack that left his victim with a fractured skull, but officials only classed him as a category C prisoner – meaning he was deemed unlikely to make an escape attempt.

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