Escaped ‘Skull Cracker’ found near Mile End station
Michael Wheatley, 55, was arrested near Mile End tube station (Picture: Kent Police/PA Wire) - Credit: PA
An escaped convict dubbed the “Skull Cracker” has been arrested near Mile End station.
Michael Wheatley, who is serving 13 life sentences for a string of robberies, was arrested in Southern Grove at 2pm this afternoon.
A 53-year-old man was also arrested.
Police had been searching for Wheatley since he failed to return to an open prison in Kent on Saturday.
DCI Ann Lisseman, from Kent Police, said: “We are no longer looking for Michael Wheatley.
“We would like to thank our colleagues at Metropolitan Police Service, Surrey Police, and the public for their assistance with our enquiries.”
Wheatley, who is originally from Limehouse, was jailed for committing 13 raids in a 10-month period between 2001 and 2002 while on parole from a 27-year sentence for other robberies.
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He was given the nickname “Skull Cracker” for pistol-whipping victims, which included a 73-year-old woman, during the raids.
