A CONVICTED murderer who walked out of a jail near York was still on the run today.

Claire McDermott, 28, fled from Askham Grange Prison earlier this month.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said she was thought to be in the Midlands area, from where she comes from originally.

He added that no photograph of McDermott had been supplied to the force, but she was described as 5ft 7in tall, of thin build with collar-length blonde hair.

McDermott was jailed for life in 1995 for murdering mother-of-one Lisa Morris in Leicester with a kitchen knife.

The judge recommended McDermott serve at least nine years, making her due for early release from prison next year.

She had been working on day release from prison at Emperors Gym in Skeldergate, York. The alarm was raised on April 14 when she was not present for her security roll check.

Updated: 11:08 Tuesday, April 29, 2003