Who was Barry Prudom and what happened to him?
IN 1982, Barry Prudom became the subject of the largest manhunt in British history at the time.
Described as a 'firearms enthusiast', he killed three people before he was finally caught for his evil acts.
Who was Barry Prudom?
Barry Prudom was an electrician who became a murderer.
He grew up in Leeds with his mother, who died in 1973.
In 1965, Prudom married a woman named Gillian Wilson and the pair went on to welcome two children together.
It has been reported that, in 1969, Prudom enlisted with the army's part-time volunteer Territorial force but was eventually rejected by the unit.
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In the 70s, Prudom moved to Saudi Arabia to work in the petroleum industry.
After his death, police revealed that Prudom's wife Gillian had left him while we was working in the Middle East.
Why was Barry Prudom Britain's most wanted man?
Prudom carried out several crimes in the lead up to his killing spree, including attacking a motorist with an iron bar in Wakefield in January 1982.
His offences began to escalate and in the summer of 1982 he became the subject of the largest manhunt in British history (at the time).
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He became a fugitive after killing PC David Haigh on June 17, 1982.
Prudom killed Haigh with a single gunshot to the head after he was pulled over at a picnic area near Harrogate, North Yorkshire.
Prudom, dubbed the Phantom of the Forest, proceeded to kill twice more during a two-week spree of violence in the North of England.
He shot civilian George Luckett on June 23 and Sergeant David Winter on June 28.
George's wife, Sylvia Luckett, was also shot by Prudom after he broke into their house.
She survived but was left with permanent brain damage.
While on the run, Prudom took several hostages and burgled people's homes.
He also attempted to kill PC Ken Oliver.
Prudom, who was 37 at the time, evaded the authorities for a fortnight.
Over one thousand officers and multiple helicopters were involved in the search.
“There has never been a manhunt like it since," Detective Sergeant Jim Kilmartin told The Sun. "Only the search for Raoul Moat comes close.”
Prudom was only caught when a former SAS soldier and tracking expert, Eddie McGee, joined the police's efforts.
After Prudom's death, it was revealed that he had previously attended survival courses run by McGee.
He has also extensively studied a manual on survival techniques written by him.
McGee was brought in by police after Prudom murdered Sergeant Winter.
Winter was responding to a report of a man acting suspiciously in the village of Malton when Prudom shot him dead at point blank range.
How did Barry Prudom die?
Prudom died on July 4, 1982, after police, with the help of McGee, managed to track down his hideout.
His makeshift shelter was just 300 yards behind Malton Police Station in North Yorkshire.
Upon discovering his whereabouts, police ordered Prudom to surrender and threw stun grenades into the hideout.
Police then heard a gunshot and opened fire, and Prudom was then found dead inside.
He had 21 gunshot wounds, including a self-inflicted shot to the head which was later declared as the shot that killed him.
The jury at the inquest into Prudom's death returned a verdict of suicide.
In the same interview, Jim said: “I think the man was a psychopath. He shot people in the back and if they had been tied up.
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“When people were at his mercy he was the kingpin. But when he was at somebody else's mercy it was different."
Prudom was buried in an unmarked grave in Harehills Cemetery, Leeds.