By Staff Reporter

Last updated at 13:35, Thursday, 03 March 2011

A fugitive killer who was caught with a gun after twice walking out of open prisons was back behind bars today.

William Bewley

William Bewley, 49, reached for the adapted starting pistol in a cupboard drawer when police stormed his bolthole near Deal, Kent, after almost a decade at large.

Bewley had served 20 years of his sentence for murder in Cumbria when he absconded from minimum security HMP Leyhill in Gloucestershire on March 5, 2001.

He had earlier gone on the run for between one year and 18 months after strolling out of an open prison in 1986, Snaresbrook Crown Court was told.

Bewley was jailed for life in 1979 for shooting farmer’s wife Ruth Musgrave near Cotehill, Carlisle.

Formerly of The Green, Cotehill, Bewley was just 17 when he murdered mother of two Mrs Musgrave in January 1979.

Her husband Frank discovered his wife’s bloodstained body in an outbuilding at the family’s isolated Knot Hill farm.

Bewley was said to have shot Mrs Musgrave, whose son had previously been friends with her killer, when he was disturbed burgling the farm.

Mr Musgrave found his wife’s body after returning home to discover a trail of blood leading to a cattle shed.

When police finally caught up with him in his Walmer hideout on June 4 last year, officers found Bewley holding a growling rottweiler dog.

Bewley ignored the officers’ orders to show his hands and reached into a cupboard drawer to grab the firearm, which had been converted to fire live rounds.

The Italian-made Kimar model 85 automatic self-loading starting gun was unloaded but the brave officers tackled Bewley to the floor.

The weapon was later found to be missing its firing pin but a police firearms expert found the gun could be fired using tools.

He was due to stand trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court but Judge Louise Kamill earlier ruled Bewley had no defence in law for possessing the gun and he pleaded guilty.

Judge Kamill jailed Bewley for the mandatory minimum term of five years for possessing a firearm and a consecutive two years for escaping custody.

The seven year term will be served concurrently with his life term for murder.

Judge Kamill described the mandatory five-year term as ‘draconian’ but added: “This legislation is to prevent weapons, guns and firearms capable of firing, as this [gun] is, from being in circulation.”

She said Bewley’s possession of the firearm was aggravated by his murder conviction.

“He broke into somebody else’s house to burgle that person’s house,” said Judge Kamill.

“When he was disturbed he discharged that firearm and shot a woman.”

Michael Skelley, defending Bewley, claimed he had been reaching for his mobile phone and mistakenly picked up the gun.

Bewley, of Roselands, Walmer, Deal, Kent, admitted possessing a prohibited firearm.

He had earlier admitted escaping lawful custody.

First published at 11:43, Thursday, 03 March 2011
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk