'Big Viking stomper' gangster caught after breaking out of prison and going on the run for a month

Daniel Gee, 44, was caught in Wigan on Tuesday after breaking out of a prison in Stockton-on-Tees, over 100 miles to the north-east, in late May.

Merseyside Police said: "We can confirm that Daniel Gee, who had absconded from prison, was detained yesterday  (Tuesday 25 June) in Wigan by officers from Merseyside Police.

"Gee absconded from Kirklevington Prison in Stockton-on-Tees on Monday 27 May and extensive efforts had been ongoing to locate him since.

"He is currently in police custody and will be returned to prison."

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Gee had been serving an indefinite sentence for public protection in 2010 after a police probe caught him conspiring to purchase guns.

It followed death threats made towards a teenager who shot him during a New Year's Day confrontation two years previously.

Gee had earlier risen to become a notorious figure in north Liverpool, running a violent crime ring alongside his brother Darren.

True crime podcaster Billy Moore called Gee a "force to be reckoned with" in the city's underworld.

The Ministry of Justice said at the time of his escape: "All prisoners in Category D prisons are robustly risk-assessed and absconds are rare.

"Offenders who break the rules are punished and face extra time behind bars and we are working with the police to recapture this prisoner."