Ellee Seymour

One play which I enjoy so much each year is the Nativity, it’s impossible not to smile at the innocence of excited young children as they grapple with the halos, crowns or tea towels adorning their heads.

But one school in Norwich is giving it a miss this year, focusing instead on multicultural celebrations like the Jewish holiday Hanukkah and the Hindu festival of Diwali, much to the disappointment of some parents who are threatening not to send their children to school on the day of the performance.

 What a sad day it is if we deny our young children the opportunity to experience the joy of participating in a Nativity.

On Christmas Eve, the church in my next village stages a totally spontaneous and unrehearsed Nativity each year. All the children are allocated costumes as they arrive, they are dressed as angels, kings or shepherds, with the newest baby and parents playing the roles of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. The belfry is converted into a stable and young animals surround the stable. It is so magical.

I wonder how many of you had roles to play in school Nativities, what are your memories from those days? I was an angel, of course, though my halo has since slipped once or twice, perhaps you was too, or maybe a shepherd, or even one of the animals, it would be fun to hear what role you played.

With fear at fever pitch in Ipswich as numbers of missing and murdered prostitutes increase, people should be aware that nine killers have escaped from two nearby Suffolk jails in the past six years - and three of them are still at large, including one who has been on the run for four years. Could the latest killer be one of them?

Richard Spring, Conservative MP for West Suffolk, has called for an inquiry into the high number of killers who have absconded, as well as submitting a written Parliamentary question demanding an explanation following the audacious escape of murderer Mark Ryder (pic left) two months ago. He gave prison guards the slip while shopping in Debenhams in Cambridge, he had been based at Highpoint Prison, Haverhill.

Ryder, described as ”a violent criminal”, shot his childhood friend to death in Brighton in 1993. The shooting happened while he was on the run after evading prison guards in 1991 when he was taken on a boating trip from Lewes Prison where he had been serving a prison sentence for stealing cars. So he has twice absconded.

The other two killers still on the run are Lawrence Hughes, (right) who strangled his girlfriend in 1995 and was last seen in March 2002, and Michael Walsh, who had served 31 years of his life sentence, but vanished three weeks ago while on temporary release in South Yorkshire. They were both serving life sentences at Hollesley Bay Open Unit near Woodbridge, where eight of the 9 killers who absconded were based.

Since 2001, a staggering 106 criminals have escaped from Hollesley Bay Open Unit, which mainly houses low-risk prisoners, or those approaching the end of their sentences.

A very perturbed Richard Spring has asked prisons minister Gerry Sutcliffe, for an inquiry into the large number of absconding murderers in Suffolk, he believes that guidelines should be reviewed.

And he has also submitted a written Parliamentary question demanding an explanation about Ryder’s escape having “lost patience” when answers were not forthcoming despite promises:

“The whole thing has been a disgrace and an embarrassment. We can never have a situation like this again. When someone has absconded before (as Ryder had) it is just fantastic to allow them to do the same thing again.”

One gets the impression that the Home Office doesn’t give a jot, that it is clueless and inept at running prisons. Is there any pressure to return these killers to prison?

It seems Suffolk is not alone. I hope Richard Spring asks how many convicted killers are on the loose in the UK, how long they have they absconded for and what measurers are being taken to track them down.

While police in Ipswich believe a serial killer could be on the loose  and may be local, they can’t rule out those killers who have absconded. How safe would you feel if you knew so many killers had escaped from prisons near you, that some of them were still at large?

P.S. The reason I have been following this closely from the beginning is because I live just over 1 hours drive away and know the area reasonably well.

(The post on female suicide bombers will come tomorrow)