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UPDATE:Gerard Thompson has now been detained and will be recalled to prison.

The public have been warned not to approach a wanted gangster "who walks with a limp" after he was recalled to prison.

Gerard Thompson, now 28, was jailed for 10 years in 2014 for a series of burglaries targeting rival drug dealers .

Thompson, whose Strand Gang member brother, Joey Thompson , was shot dead in 2012, was released on licence at the half way stage of his sentence in May last year.

Today, Merseyside Police issued a wanted appeal for Thompson, warning the public to report any sightings immediately.

A spokesman for the force said: "Thompson was released from prison in May 2019 following a sentence for drugs offences.

"He has since breached the conditions of his licence, which has now been revoked and a prison recall issued.

"Thompson is white, 5ft 8in tall, of medium build, with receding shoulder length hair. He has a curved scar to the centre of his brow, and walks with a limp.



"Members of the public are advised not approach Thompson if they see him, but to call 999."

Thompson was the ringleader of a gang who targeted rivals' cannabis farms and stashes to sell on.

He, along with an associate, tortured a cannabis farmer with a hammer and screwdriver after tying him up.

The ECHO reported at the time how a police investigation into the gang recovered only seven ounces of the drug, but pictures taken on their own mobile phones showed gang members holding bin bags full of cannabis and stacks of £20 notes.

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Thompson, then of Cottesbrooke Close, Norris Green , admitted conspiracy to burgle over several raids, and was also found guilty of burglary and assault after the cannabis grower was attacked in his own house and tied to a chair.

Rowena Goode, prosecuting the case at Liverpool Crown Court, said that the victim was woken in the early hours of December 19, 2012, to find two men had broken into his flat on Hollingbourne Place, Norris Green armed with a hammer and a screwdriver.

Ms Goode, said: "They demanded money. [He] was tied up with insulation tape. He was degraded by them and was told they would cut body parts off. He was filmed with a mobile phone."

He managed to get free and fought back and was later treated for puncture wounds at Aintree hospital.

In court Thompson's barrister, Anthony Rose, said his client had lost his both his parents and his brother.

He said: "This is not a case of a thug, a person steeped in criminality that made the choice that this was the only way to live. His potential has not been channeled in a positive and law abiding way."

Joey, 32, was on Ravensthorpe Green on June 14, 2012, when he and his friend 27-year-old Kevin Murray were hit by hail of gunfire .

Paramedics declared Joey dead at the scene - while Mr Murray suffered gunshot wounds to his upper body and underwent surgery.

Mr Thompson was known to police and was understood to have been part of the Strand Gang.

Following his murder, the force said the evidence pointed to the shooting being the result of in-fighting between gang members.

However, despite four men being arrested on suspicion of murder, no-one has yet been charged.

During the investigation, which remains open, Merseyside Police said it had struggled to "break down the wall of silence" shielding the killer or killers.

In 2014, a £20,000 reward for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the gunmen was offered.

CCTV images were circulated by police of a Citreon C4 seen being driven around the area, and detectives believe its occupants could still prove vital to solving the crime.

Anyone who believes they have seen Gerard Thompson recently is asked to contact @MerPolCC on Twitter or call 101 quoting reference 19100721883.

Information can also be passed anonymously via the independent charity Crimestoppers, by calling 0800 555 111 or via their online form at: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/give-information .