Barry Prudom Criminal
Barry Peter Prudom (18 October 1944 – 4 July 1982) was an English electrician and multiple murderer, known as The Phantom in the Forest, who became the subject of a police manhunt and what was at the time the largest armed police operation Great Britain had ever seen, involving 12 police forces. Prudom became a fugitive after killing PC David Haigh on 17 June 1982. Before being captured he killed twice more, shooting civilian George Luckett on 23 June 1982 and Police Sergeant David Winter on 28 June 1982. Described as an "avid outdoorsman and firearms enthusiast" Prudom's knowledge of military survival skills learned while training with the SAS helped him evade capture for 18 days as he hid out in rural areas in the north of England. When eventually found, having been tracked by "Jungle" Eddie McGee, a former SAS instructor, Prudom committed suicide by firing a single shot to his head. It later transpired that Prudom had previously attended survival courses run by McGee, and had made extensive study of a manual on survival techniques written by the SAS veteran, entitled No Need To Die.
