AN ESSEX teen on the run for six months after fatally shooting a man at a petrol station could be in Ibiza, say officers in the eastern UK county.
Bradley Blundell, who was 17 at the time, killed 34-year-old electrician John Pordage with a single shot wound to the chest at a BP garage on Baddo Road in Chelmsford at around 02.00 on August 5, sending shock-waves through a city where this time of night would normally see the streets filled with revellers walking to and from clubs.
Blundell's alleged accomplice, aged 16, who cannot be named as he is a minor, was acquitted yesterday (Friday) in court and the older man was considered to be the material author of the shooting.
The killer had already pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods and perverting the course of justice.
A third man, Saul Stanley, 18, was found to be involved but was cleared of murder, although he was found guilty of perverting the course of justice and possession of firearms.
Reports after Blundell, now 18, went on the run confirmed he had flown out of an Essex airfield, and police believe he has 'a safe base' in Ibiza and 'a good support network', which may make finding him difficult.
But Essex police are working with national and regional authorities in Spain and intend to launch a major appeal across the Balearic Islands.
They say posters with the killer's face on it will be 'spread all over Ibiza' and that members of the force would be travelling out to the Spanish party island in the next few days.
A European arrest warrant, which makes capture and extradition easier across continental borders, has been issued at the request of the county's force.
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