Escaped convict lands himself back in prison after coming out of hiding to buy a video game

Mar 05, 2021

A fugitive armed robber has landed himself back in prison after coming out of hiding to buy the new Call Of Duty game.

Escaped convict Clint Butler assaulted two police officers and had to be restrained on the ground after he was stopped in Birmingham city centre on 13 January.

Bodycam footage shows him kicking one officer in the groin and punching another in the face before being held down by the officers and security guards who came to help.

He escaped HMP Spring Hill open prison last year while serving a 17-year extended sentence for crimes including robbery and firearms offences.

Since fleeing the prison at around midnight on 28 November, he has been classed as wanted by police.

But it was the call of a new video game that lured Butler out of hiding, leading him to venture into the city centre with a friend for a non-essential trip.

PCs Mark Owen and Allison Brown spotted the pair changing direction when they saw the officers and immediately became suspicious.

When asked by the officers why he was in town during lockdown, Butler’s friend replied: “I’ve come to get the new Call Of Duty because I can’t sit around in lockdown.”

Mr Owen then said he would check the men’s details – at which point Butler lashed out and kicked him in the groin.

The officers tackled him while calling for back-up, as Butler punched Ms Brown in the face.

He eventually gave up and was handcuffed, initially giving a false name before officers realised he was in fact an escaped convict.

Butler has been jailed for 13 months for absconding from prison, and six months consecutively for assaulting the officers – on top of his original sentence, which would have seen him behind bars until 2024.

Superintendent Nick Rowe of West Midlands Police said: “Quite why he decided to risk being returned to prison by making the idiotic decision to come into town during lockdown with a friend to buy a video game will remain a bit of a mystery.”

He also praised the “great work” of officers who had been “acting on instinct that there was something not quite right”.

“The situation escalated really quickly, but both PCs put their training to good effect by restraining Butler, subduing him and getting him safely in handcuffs, while also calling for back-up from officers nearby,” he said.

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