The killer of a police officer who was shot during a raid in Hemel Hempstead 35 years ago is making a bid for freedom.

James Hurley was jailed for life after shooting off-duty Police Constable Frank Mason in the back while raiding a van in Hemel Hempstead in 1988.

After spending six years behind bars, Hurley escaped after threatening a prison officer with a knife as he was moved between jails.

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He spent the next 13 years on the run before being recaptured by police in The Hague in the Netherlands.

Hurley, now 60, is making another bid for freedom according to The Mirror, this time through parole, with his first hearing taking place late last month.

According to The Mirror PC Mason's widow, Jill, still wonders how different things would have been if he did not intervene in the raid.

READ MORE: Teenager arrested after man injured in Hemel Hempstead assault

"I still wonder what my life would have been like if he hadn't been brave, if he hadn't been walking the dog and intervened. He was the best and loveliest of men."