Murder hunt: the Evening Press supplement, left, and front page, right
Journalists from the Evening Press in York were first on the scene when quadruple murder suspect Mark Hobson was arrested this week.
A week-long manhunt for Hobson, 34, ended on Sunday in a village near York after garage owner Derek North and shopkeeper Robin Wilson recognised the wanted man.
After calling the police, Wilson notified his local daily paper, which sent down a team of reporters and photographers. They obtained exclusive pictures and interviews with eyewitnesses moments after police arrived to arrest the fugitive, who was found hiding in a nearby field.
Hobson was wanted in connection with the murder of a couple in their 80s and twin 27-year-old sisters.
The Evening Press scrambled 20 reporters, photographers and subeditors on Sunday to put together a special edition for Monday morning.
The first edition was printed by 6am, rather than 11am as usual, in order for the Newsquest paper to be in newsagents at the same time as the nationals, most of which also led with the story.
The Evening Press included an eightpage pullout charting the events leading up to the arrest of Britain’s most-wanted man. It normally sells around 37,000 copies but an extra 12,500 were printed on Monday.
Editor Kevin Booth said: “It was a tremendous effort from everyone concerned, from the moment we took the call that Hobson had been arrested right to our early morning print.
“It took no time at all to assemble enough people to produce the paper.
There was a real buzz around the newsroom and people got stuck in.
The commitment and professionalism they showed was a credit to them all.”
North Yorkshire Police played tribute to the role played by the media in the apprehension of Hobson.
Numerous appeals for information have been published in the local and national press, including statements from Hobson’s ex-wife, his mother and relatives of the murder victims. The Evening Press had distributed 350 wanted posters featuring Hobson’s mugshot.
Deputy chief constable Roger Baker said: “I would like to record our most sincere thanks to the public for the magnificent help and support they have given to police. I also wish to thank the media for their understanding and assistance.”
By Dominic Ponsford
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