A CONVICTED murderer has been arrested after going on the run from authorities for the fourth time.

The Argus revealed last month that Mark Ryder had gone missing after being released on licence for murdering his childhood friend Stuart McCue in Whitehawk, Brighton in 1993.

Hertfordshire Police confirmed he had been arrested in Greater Manchester over the weekend.

Ryder had escaped from prison at the time of the murder.

He escaped again in 2006 while on a supervised shopping trip in Cambridge, but was released on licence and had been living at a bail hostel in Manchester.

Mr McCue's nephew, Jamie Cole, told The Argus: "As a family we are very happy and relieved now he is back behind bars.

"We will be fighting hard now to get Ryder kept locked up forever."

Ryder killed McCue after escaping from Lewes Prison in August 1991 while on a prison-organised boat trip from Rye to Brighton Marina.

He moved to New Milton, Hampshire, to set up a new life with Emma Devoy, Mr McCue's ex-girlfriend and the mother of Mr McCue's two children.

He and Mr McCue had fallen out over Miss Devoy while they were inmates at Lewes Prison.

On a visit to Brighton in May, 1993, Ryder was driving up Whitehawk Way with two friends from New Milton when he spotted Mr McCue outside Valley Social Club.

Ryder got out of the car and shot his victim four times from about ten yards away, in the chest and in the back of the thigh as he tried to crawl away.