Dutch Police catch fugitive police killer

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Dutch police have arrested one of Britain's most wanted criminals, James Hurley, 13 years after he escaped from British custody after killing a policeman.

In a statement on Monday, Dutch police said they found him in the Hague on November 9 when investigating a house which had raised suspicions due to its high energy use, sometimes a sign of illegal drugs factories.

"Officers expected to find a cannabis farm but instead found a large quantity of hard drugs," the police said.

The Dutch public prosecutor will discuss with British authorities whether and when Hurley is to be handed over.

Hurley was convicted along with two other men of robbery and murder for killing off-duty police constable Francis Mason, shot dead while trying to stop them from robbing a security van in Hemel Hempstead north of London in 1988.

He had managed to elude an international manhunt since escaping while being transferred between prisons in 1994.

In a statement released by British police, Mason's widow Jill said: "I am really pleased to hear the news that Hurley has been caught. It doesn't bring Francis back, but Hurley needs to serve time for the crime he committed."