A convicted murderer, who clubbed to death a Telegraph & Argus newspaper seller, has been put on a website of Britain's most wanted criminals after going on the run.

John Thorpe, 55, was formally recalled to prison after absconding from an hostel while on licence for the murder of Nobby Clarke.

His photograph and details have been put on the Crimestoppers UK Most Wanted site after police inquiries failed to find him.

Thorpe, of Holme Wood, Bradford, was jailed for life in 1986 after he was convicted of the murder of Mr Clarke, who sold the T&A outside the Midland Hotel in Bradford, 15 years earlier.

Donald Pendleton, of Buttershaw, Bradford, was also found guilty of the murder and jailed for life, but was freed in 2001 when his conviction was quashed by the House of Lords.

Thorpe was released on licence to a hostel in Bradford in April, 2003, after serving 17 years of his sentence. But he failed to return to the hostel in September of that year and has been on the run since.

He is now listed on the most wanted website as a violent criminal wanted for prison recall.

He is suspected of working as a roofer and to have had contact with his family in the Tong Street and Bradford Moor areas of Bradford.

Detective Sergeant Ian Froggett, of Crimestoppers, said that everybody named on the website had been put on as a last resort because they had been extremely difficult to find.

He said: "Other traditional methods to detect them have failed and we are now asking everybody with access to the internet to have a look and see if they can assist police in bringing this person back into the prison system.

"It's important that people are found in these cases because they cannot legitimately earn money and it puts pressure on them to find other means of making a living and stay out of the prison system."

DS Froggett urged anyone with knowledge of the whereabouts of Thorpe to ring police on 0845 6060606 or Crimestoppers if they wished to remain anonymous and possibly receive a cash reward on 0800 555 111.

Detective Inspector Erica Gribbin, of Bradford South Police, said officers were continuing to make inquiries to locate Thorpe.

She said: "There have been no sightings of him recently but we have had information he is still in the Bradford area.

"We have somebody looking at it all the time, speaking to the family and knocking on doors, and officers have his photograph and are looking out for him."

e-mail: steve.wright@bradford.newsquest.co.uk