A £5,000 REWARD has been offered for information leading to the capture of an escaped prisoner with links to Hampshire.

Jason Sufi has been linked to a series of aggravated burglaries - including an incident in Wiltshire.

He absconded from HMP Spring Hill, an open prison in Buckinghamshire, on February 20.

The 39-year-old was serving a nine year sentence for burglary, false imprisonment and robbery.

Since his escape, Sufi has been linked to a series of aggravated burglaries and a robbery with grievous bodily harm in Oxfordshire, Kent, Cambridgeshire, Hampshire, Wiltshire and Surrey.

He is believed to have links to Winchester, Farnborough and Fleet.

In March, Wiltshire Police issued an appeal after Sufi was spotted wielding a knife in Amesbury.

He dropped the weapon and ran off.

"At no point were any officers or members of the public threatened with the knife," a force spokesman said.

"Anyone who sees a man matching this description [should] not to approach him."

Now, Crimestoppers is offering a reward of up to £5,000 for information leading to Sufi's capture.

Annabelle Goodenough, from the charity, said: “We are appealing to anybody who may know of Jason Sufi’s whereabouts to do the right thing and get in contact with us.

“He has shown he can be violent. We should all be able to live in our homes and walk our streets safely without fear, which is why our charity has put up this reward.

“Please help us to keep our streets safe. If you have any information, however insignificant it may appear, please do the right thing and contact us. In over 30 years we have always kept our promise of 100 per cent anonymity to everyone who trusts us with their crime information."

Sufi is described as 5ft 6in tall with olive skin, dark hair and a medium build. He is a high risk to the community and people are asked not to approach him.

Call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.