How dangerous fugitive sparked 48-hour manhunt

CCTV images capture stalker as he flees house where he'd kept victim captive for three hours armed with a hammer

- NEAL KEELING

A DANGEROUS fugitive stalker flees a house after holding a woman captive for three hours - sparking a 48-hour manhunt.

Edward John Best can be seen making a run for it in the bottom right of the CCTV still above after his victim managed to raise the alarm

He'd travelled from his home in Chicago to Tameside to confront a woman.

The 26-year-old IT worker had been in a three-year online relationship with the woman when she blocked him due to his aggressive manner and strange demands, according to Greater Manchester Police.

On one occasion he asked her to leave her phone on so he could listen to her breathing as she slept, said the force.

He spent 12 days in Manchester after catching a flight from the US, spying on her home in Hyde.

He eventually broke in but inside was the woman's cousin who had popped round to feed her cat.