Killer known as the 'Black Dog Strangler' found drinking in Newcastle gay bar after escaping from secure mental hospital

Phillip Westwater was found at The Bank gay bar in Newcastle

He had earlier escaped from St Nicholas Hospital in the city

Drag queen describes moment convicted killer was arrested after one of the bar's regular recognised his tattoos from a police photo



Found: Convicted killer Phillip Westwater, 44, who went missing from St Nicholas Hospital in Newcastle has been found by police and returned to the hospital

A convicted killer who went on the run after escaping from a secure psychiatric hospital was found by police after spending an afternoon drinking at a local gay bar, it emerged today.

Phillip Westwater, who was dubbed the Black Dog Strangler, was arrested at The Bank in Newcastle late on Wednesday night after fellow revellers recognised his distinctive tattoos from a photograph.

The married killer had spent 12 hours on the run, and was seen at the gay bar drinking with regulars while watching a drag queen perform.



West water had earlier duped guards at the St Nicholas Hospital after pretending that he needed to use the toilet and escaping, leaving his hospital clothes piled in a heap.



A force spokesman said: ' The missing man has been located safe and well in the Newcastle area. Officers will be taking him back to the secure unit at St Nicholas's Hospital.

' A call was made by a member of the public who contacted police after recognising a photo of Phillip.'

Staff at The Bank said Westwater could have spent all afternoon in the bar, adding that he did not seem to stand out despite being 'a bit vacant'.

Penny Arcade, the drag artist who was performing at the time, described the moment the killer was taken away by police: 'He had been in there all night - he was chatting to one of the regulars who was buying him drinks.



'He was just sat drinking a pint, nothing unusual, which was why it was so unexpected.



'Ten or 12 policemen came in and went up to the smoking terrace. There was no scuffle, he was just led away.



'It was all over within about five minutes. As they took him out of the bar he came right past the DJ booth, but he didn't have much of an expression - he just looked as if he had resigned himself to the fact he was going to be taken back.'

'One of the group he was with saw the picture the police had put out on Facebook and recognised his tattoos,' Penny added. 'He called the police.



'There was quite a crowd outside because people had seen the police vans and there was a buzz for a while, everyone was talking about it.'



Drinking: The murderer apparently spent most of the afternoon in The Bank gay bar

Performer: Drag artist Penny Arcade was on stage at the time Westwater was arrested

Westwater, who also used the alias Philip Whiteman, was detained indefinitely under the Mental Health Act in 1989 following a pub fight in which he left a drinker paralysed after slashing him across the throat.

He then strangled fellow patient Derek Williams at Ashworth Hospital, Liverpool, with his dressing gown cord after becoming convinced that the his victim had turned him into a dog.

The incident led to Westwater, originally from Newcastle, being given the nickname Black Dog Strangler.

A manager of the company which owns The Bank said Westwater could have been caught earlier if the photograph had been available.



'Although he looked a little different, his distinctive tattoos gave him away,' Cris Howe said.



'He had been drinking in the bar most of the day, but as his photo wasn't released till late at night no one knew who they were looking for. I can't believe that it wasn't put out more quickly.'



At his trial Westwater admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, with the judge saying: 'You are clearly very dangerous. '

Northumbria Police had warned members of the public not to approach Westwater.

Westwater left the clothes he had been wearing in the hospital, which is considered a medium security unit.

The killer, who is described as white, six feet tall, of slim build with brown/grey hair, escaped from the hospital at around 10am on Wednesday.

Officers said they had concerns for Westwater's welfare as he is diabetic. He has a pump fitted and police said he has enough insulin to last three days.



He has previously been detained at high security psychiatric hospital Broadmoor, joining high profile detainees such as Ian Brady.

Escape: St Nicholas Hospital in Newcastle, where convicted killer Phillip Westwater escaped on Wednesday after pretending that he needed to use the toilet

Westwater has also been detained at Rampton Secure Hospital, Nottinghamshire.



His life in detention has not been without incident. He married fellow patient Susan Scott at high security hospital Broadmoor but they divorced in 2000.

Westwater then began a secret romance with a nursing assistant Claire Dudley who worked on his ward at Rampton high security hospital in Nottinghamshire.

The pair reportedly wed at a social club in the hospital in November 2008.

Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust said the right to marry was enshrined in the 1988 Human Rights Act.