The notorious criminal nicknamed 'Spiderboy' is on the run from the law again.
Thomas Laws earned his alias after a series of dramatic escapes when he was a prolific young offender in the 1990s, including one incident where he managed to squeeze his way out of a secure court dock.
His life of crime continued into adulthood resulting in prison sentences for offences including a gunpoint robbery and a savage nightclub ear bite attack.
And it seems the 40-year-old's determination to evade capture is as strong today as it was when he was a youth.
Police have been hunting Laws, who is wanted on emergency prison recall, since near the start of the coronavirus lockdown.
But despite the restrictions put in place to keep people at home, he was nowhere to be found when police paid visits to his address in North Shields, North Tyneside.
Now, officers have urged the fugitive to give himself up and warned that anyone helping him avoid police could also be arrested.
Supt Jonathan Bensley, of Northumbria Police, said: “Enquiries are ongoing to trace Thomas Laws and I would encourage him to hand himself in as soon as possible.
“I would like to reiterate that it is a criminal offence to harbour someone who is evading arrest, and we do not want anybody getting into trouble on his account.
“If you’ve seen Laws or know where he is residing, please contact us."
Laws has lived a lawless existence for almost 30 years.
While growing up on North Shields’ Meadow Well estate, he was in trouble by the age of nine.
He was dubbed Spiderboy after a series of escapes from homes, courts and custody. He absconded from residential homes more than 20 times, sometimes getting away by climbing on the roof.
The secure dock at North Tyneside Magistrates' Court was also no match for the young tearaway. He sparked a massive security alert when he escaped while his case was being heard.
Laws managed to scale an eight-foot glass wall before squeezing through a tiny gap by the ceiling. He then dropped to the floor before being confronted by court staff.
During the early part of his criminal career, Laws was known only as Spiderboy as he was too young to be identified by the press.
But after becoming a dad in 2001 he vowed to turn over a new leaf and even helped produce a documentary about poverty and crime after being released from jail.
But by the end of the year, he was back in hot water. In 2002, he robbed a taxi driver at knifepoint in Percy Main, North Shields.
And in 2007 he was given an indefinite sentence at Newcastle Crown Court for a terrifying gunpoint hold-up committed while he was already on bail for biting somebody's ear.
Anyone with any information about Laws' whereabouts is asked to call Northumbria Police on 101, quoting reference 0166552.
