John Patrick Hannan

John Patrick Hannan (born 1933) is an Irish prison fugitive who holds the record for the longest escape from custody, having escaped HM Prison The Verne, Isle of Portland, Dorset in December 1955, aged 22 years.

Prior to the escape In November 1955 at the Old Bailey, Hannan was sentenced to 21 months imprisonment for stealing a car and assaulting two police officers. He was imprisoned at HM Prison The Verne on the Isle of Portland, Dorset.

After escaping, the pair, who were wearing grey prison overalls, burgled a nearby petrol station and stole overcoats, beer, and cigarettes before leaving the isle. The toilet window was later found open by a mechanic.

Post-escape Police believe that Hannan fled to his native Ireland. Assuming he is still alive, Hannan has been on the run for seventy years.

In 1998, Dorset Police appealed directly to Hannan to give himself up, writing in a service newsletter: "If you read this, Mr. Hannan, please write in, we'd love to hear from you." Whilst Dorset Police reported that they had stopped actively searching for Hannan in 1998, they stated that "considerable interest" would be taken to any information about Hannan's whereabouts. Having escaped from Nevada State Prison in 1923, Fristoe lived for nearly 46 years under the alias of Claude R. Willis, before being turned in by his own son in California in 1969, after an argument. facing a potential additional sentence and completion of his original 21-month sentence. The Home Secretary would be able to decide whether he should be pardoned.