A murderer who went on the run in Northern Ireland has been recaptured.

Samuel McKinley, 57, is serving a life sentence for the murder of a man in Southampton in 1996, but he absconded while on day release from Maghaberry Prison, Lisburn, on Thursday.

On Sunday, the Police Service of Northern Ireland announced McKinley had been located and arrested in the greater Belfast area.

“Police would like to thank the public for their assistance,” a PSNI spokesman said.

“McKinley absconded from the NI Prison Service during an unescorted day release on November 15.”

It is not the first time McKinley has evaded police, having escaped a number of times since 2002.