CHILD killer Alan Giles, who absconded from a Worcestershire prison on Monday, may be in the Alcester or South Warwickshire area, police believe.

The 56-year-old, who is currently serving two life sentences at HMP Hewell in Redditch for the kidnap and murder of 16-year-old Kevin Ricketts from Quinton, Birmingham, in 1995, went missing on October 28.

New information has led police to step up patrols in Alcester and the surrounding area.

Officers believe he could be sleeping rough in woodland, barns or outbuildings and have said anyone harbouring him could be committing a crime.

He is described as a white man, 5ft 9in tall with short grey hair and blue eyes. He has a scar on his forehead and a tattoo of an eagle on the back and a swallow, shark and flower on his left arm.

He is thought to be wearing a grey Rocksport sweater, blue jeans and white Asics trainers and may be using public transport.

It is unclear why he left the prison on the morning of October 28 but police are concerned about his state of mind.

Detective Chief Inspector Paul Judge urged anyone who spots him not to approach him but call police on 999.

“We are carrying out extensive searches to find Giles and we are leaving no stone unturned in our investigation,” he said.

“We would like to reassure the Alcester community and other people living nearby that there are a number of officers out and about in the area and we are doing all we can to get Alan Giles back in custody as soon as possible.”

Anyone with any information about Giles’ whereabouts is asked to call 101 and ask for Redditch CID.