Dramatic footage has been released of the moment Metropolitan Police officers arrested a murderer who was found living in a tent near Upper Holloway station.
Fugitive Alexander Carr, 33, was found in London 18 days after he stabbed Michelle Hanson to death in Sunderland.
On Friday (June 16) he was jailed for life with a minimum term of 19 years and three months having previously pleaded guilty to murder.
On December 1 last year, Carr stabbed mum and grandmother Michelle at least 29 times.
He fled the scene and went into hiding.
Carr was quickly identified as the prime suspect and a wanted appeal was issued, including emotional appeals from Michelle's daughter Shannon Brown asking Carr to hand himself in.
Carr ignored the pleas but police were soon tipped off that he had travelled to London from Lincolnshire.
Officers found him inside a tent near Upper Holloway station armed with a knife.
When he was caught he asked officers: "How did you find me?"
At Newcastle Crown Court Shannon, one of Michelle's five children, said: "My mam was taken in such a vicious and mindless attack. We believe that her last moments would have been spent in fear.
“To think she welcomed this evil person into her house as a friend is unbearable. He has taken advantage of a vulnerable, kind and loving woman.
“It is horrific to know he towered over her in both height and strength and my mam was defenceless. This is something we must all try and live with.
“Carr stole the last moments I should have had with my mam and I couldn’t say goodbye and never got tell her how much we all loved her.
"His cowardly actions of running away meant I had to wait over three weeks before I could see my mam in the chapel of rest and I wasn’t able to touch her face or kiss her cheek.
“My mam was a kind and caring woman with a huge heart. She had an infectious smile, a brilliant sense of humour.
“We all feel lost without her. She was my best friend. She was my rock.”
Senior investigating officer, De Ch Insp Graeme Barr of Northumbria Police, said he hoped the sentencing could help Michelle's family move on with their lives.
“They have shown real courage and strength since this investigation was launched and I want to thank them for all they have done to help us put Carr behind bars for his vile actions.
“Carr has shown no remorse and has never provided an explanation for why he murdered Michelle – a woman who invited him into her home as a friend.
"He killed her in her own home and then fled thinking we would never catch him. This is evident in the way he speaks to us during his arrest, genuinely shocked that the law had caught up with him.
DCI Barr added: “Michelle had a family and thanks to Carr they now have to live their lives without her and it is only right he now serves a lengthy sentence."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here