Pentonville prison fugitives: Police warn Londoners not to approach James Whitlock and Matthew Baker who are on the run from north London jail

Escaped inmates: Matthew Baker and James Whitlock are on the run from Pentonville prison
Metropolitan Police
Fiona Simpson8 November 2016
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Police have named two "violent" men who are on the run from Pentonville prison and have warned Londoners not to approach them.

James Whitlock, 31, and Matthew Baker 28, were reported missing from the north London jail at 11.45am on Monday.

Unconfirmed reports suggested the prisoners escaped using diamond-tipped cutting equipment to slice through the metal.

Police have issued a warning to Londoners not to approach the men over fears they may become violent.

Dangerous man: Matthew Baker stabbed his victim 25 times with a broken bottle
Met Police

The “vicious and unprovoked” attack on the 23-year-old was carried out after a group of men forced their way into the flat in Lewis Way.

The victim was forced to undergo life-saving surgery at the Royal London Hospital.

Baker, who was due to be sentenced on November 11, is described as a white man with ginger hair.

Whitlock was being held on remand charged with 19 counts of conspiracy to burgle from cash machines across the south-east.

Escaped prisoner: James Whitlock is charged with 19 counts of conspiracy to burgle 
Met Police

He is described as a white man of slim build with the word ‘Tracy’ tattooed on his torso.

It is understood the pair were from G wing, the same part of the jail where inmate Jamal Mahmoud was stabbed to death last month.

Scotland Yard said police were called to the prison shortly before midday after the inmates escaped.

A spokesman said: "Police in Islington were called to HMP Pentonville at 11.44pm on Monday, November 7 following reports of two escaped prisoners.

"Officers attended and established with prison staff that two male prisoners, aged 28 and 31, escaped from the prison. Enquiries are ongoing to locate them."

A Prison Service spokeswoman said: "Public protection is our top priority and we take escapes from custody extremely seriously.

Dramatic escape: The men are believed to have scaled the perimetre wall of the prison
PA

"We are working closely with the police and are urgently investigating the matter."

HMP Pentonville in north London is a category B Victorian prison which opened in 1842 and holds more than 1,200 adult men.

Last year, the prison was singled out by former justice secretary Michael Gove as "the most dramatic example of failure" within the estate.

The last person to escape Pentonville was convicted murderer John Massey, who went on the run for 48 hours after fleeing in 2012.

Pentonville: Two inmates have escaped from the jail
PA

He managed to break-out using a makeshift rope to scale the wall of the prison before he was found in hiding in a two-bedroom cottage in Faversham two days later after a nationwide manhunt.

Massey was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a man at a pub in Hackney in 1975.

Last December, a prison was involved in a standoff with police after escaping his cell and climbing onto the roof of the prison.

He was brought down after negotiating with prison staff for more than an hour.

Figures show that in 2015/16 there were two escapes from prisons, and the number has not exceeded two in any financial year since 2007/08.

A report published by the Ministry of Justice earlier this year said escapes are "rare" and "taken very seriously".

None of those that escaped were still at large by the end of April, it added.

Police are asking the public to call them on 999 should they see either man.

Alternatively, to remain anonymous call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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