£10,000 reward in hunt for escaped murder suspect Detectives hunting an "extremely dangerous" murder suspect who escaped from a prison van have offered a £10,000 reward for information about his whereabouts. A man has been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender following the "well-orchestrated ambush" that saw John Anslow being sprung from custody, and is being questioned by police. Officers from West Midlands Police detained the 44-year-old suspect last night just hours after Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke ordered an inquiry into how Anslow was able to escape from a prison van. There is still no sign of the highly-dangerous category A prisoner, now at the centre of an international manhunt. A gang of three masked men stopped the vehicle, smashed its windows with sledgehammers and punched its driver as it was taking inmates from Hewell Prison in Redditch to Stafford Crown Court yesterday morning. Detective Superintendent Martin Evans of Staffordshire Police, the force leading the hunt, said: "Our investigation into finding escaped prisoner John Anslow is continuing to move quickly as we follow several lines of inquiry. Staffordshire Police are offering a £10,000 reward for information that leads to Anslow's arrest and return to prison. We're hoping that this sizeable reward will encourage those who know where Anslow might be to come forward. All calls will be treated in the strictest confidence. Property has been recovered following the execution of five search warrants in the Tipton area of the West Midlands, and it is now being examined by police, he added. Officers have received calls about possible sightings of a silver Mercedes car used by Anslow and his associates and are appealing for information about a silver Volkswagen Scirocco found abandoned close to the scene. It is thought the offenders used it during the incident, then switched to the Mercedes. Anslow's status was upgraded to Category A only after he was charged with the murder of businessman Richard Deakin last week. Mr Evans said more than half a million people had been reached on Facebook as part of the force's social media appeal for information on Anslow. He said: "We'd continue to remind people that Anslow has been charged with murder and is considered very dangerous. Anyone who sees him should not approach him but should ring 999 immediately. Friends or associates of Anslow who know where he is are asked to call the incident room directly on 01785 235051.