Police re-arrest escaped arsonist

My Account
Logout

Create an Evening Standard Account

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Welcome! Sign in here

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Forgot your password ?

Registration

* indicates fields that are mandatory

Email *

Password *

Confirm Password *

First name *

Surname *

Postcode *

Country *

Mobile phone number

Username *

Gender *

Year of birth *

When you sign up...

You will have access to all our online competitions, discounted offers and can post comments on our site.

You will also receive The Weekender newsletter sent every Thursday - it’s full of fantastic offers and ideas for the weekend. You can update your email preferences in your account page when you log in.

Other newsletters and emails

Homes & Property Newsletter - Yes I want to receive the weekly email with all the latest news on property in the capital

Occasionally we would also like to send you relevant emails detailing specific offers either from ourselves or carefully selected partners. If you would prefer not to receive these then please tick the appropriate boxes below. We will never pass on your details.

I do not want to receive additional offers and information from the Evening Standard

I do not want to receive additional offers and information sent by Evening Standard on behalf of carefully selected partners

Terms and Conditions

* I have read, understood and agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of Evening Standard

Registration

Mail Sent for Registration Confirmation.

A confirmation email has been sent. Please activate your account by clicking on the activation link sent in your mail box.

Julien Chautard, 39, was arrested in the Piccadilly area of central London shortly before 9am on Tuesday after his friends and family encouraged him to call police, a Scotland Yard spokesman said.

Chautard was sentenced to seven years in jail at Snaresbrook Crown Court last week but spent just minutes inside Pentonville prison in north London after slipping out underneath the van he had arrived in.

Chautard was taken to a north London police station, where he will be interviewed.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said officers spoke to Chautard's family in France, where he was born, and the UK after his escape and they encouraged him to call the police when he contacted them.

He rang Islington CID on a number of occasions and told Detective Inspector Yasmin Lalani that he would be in the Piccadilly area. He was arrested at 8.50am.

Prison officials launched an inquiry into how staff failed to notice his disappearance from a group of new inmates following the escape on March 27.

It is thought he crawled underneath the van and clung on as it was driven back through the "airlock" separating the jail from the outside world.

His getaway remained a mystery for seven hours as the prison was scoured by officers ordered to stay until 2am the next day, The Mirror reported.

Chautard was convicted of one count of arson and endangering life for an offence in Hackney, east London. A Metropolitan Police spokesman said he was given seven-year and 12-month prison terms, to run concurrently.