Escaped South Island murderer on the run

Police are hunting a convicted murderer who escaped from a work detail outside Wellington Prison late this morning.

Ericson, a caucasian, is described as about 1.8m tall, of medium build, is clean shaven and has grey hair.

He was last seen wearing prison issue grey trackpants with the letters WRP stencilled on the side, a grey sweatshirt top and black work boots. He was carrying a black jersey and may be wearing it.

Detective Senior Sergeant Glenn Williams, Wellington CIB, said police were searching the Mapuia and Miramar areas of the capital.

Officers were also checking local transport centres, as Ericson was known to have associates in Auckland and Blenheim.

They asked anyone seeing Ericson to contact them immediately.

Ericson was serving life imprisonment after pleading guilty in April 2000 to murdering his wife by striking her over the head with a tomahawk while she was asleep.

A summary of facts from the court case said Ericson had attacked his wife, Sandra, 38, on July 31 while she was asleep in bed, striking her 22 times in the back of the head with the 30cm hatchet.

During the attack the victim put her hands to the back of her head to try to protect herself and received extensive injuries to both hands.