BRITISH police are reviewing their file on a prison officer following suggestions that his disappearance may have been linked to the Whitemoor prison breakout in September 1994.
Mr Peter Curran (38), was last seen on March 14th, 1995, when he left home to play golf. Two weeks earlier he was suspended from his job at Whitemoor, a high security prison in Cambridgeshire, for allegedly supplying toiletries to inmates.
After the trial of the six escapers was stopped at Woolwich Crown Court last Thursday because of prejudicial publicity, a barrister for one of them suggested their break out was assisted by third parties.
A Conservative MP, Mr Ian Bruce, subsequently called for a police inquiry into a possible link between Mr Curran's disappearance and the escape attempt by five IRA men and an armed robber.
The six, who were recaptured within two hours of their escape attempt, had been charged with breaking out of prison and possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life and with intent to break prison.
Yesterday, Cambridgeshire police said they were reviewing their file on Mr Curran.
But a spokeswoman stressed that there had never been any evidence to suggest he had been killed or committed suicide.
"Exhaustive inquiries have been carried out by Cambridgeshire police since Mr Curran was reported missing," a spokeswoman said. "Despite those inquiries, which have been made both in this country and abroad, no trace of Mr Curran's car has ever been found.
"The file is currently being reviewed by an officer not involved in the case, but there is no evidence to suggest that Mr Curran was killed and he is still being treated as a missing person."
Mr Curran's wife Christine told BBC 1's One O'Clock News: "I'm sure that my husband was privy to information.
"I refuse to believe that the Prison Service, together with the Home Office, have not considered the far reaching implications of corruption being uncovered which may in turn lead to the discovery of something very serious having happened to him."
The British Home Secretary, Mr Michael Howard, urged critics calling for a new inquiry into the escapes to produce evidence or withdraw their claims.
Mr Howard spoke out after Sir John Woodcock, former Chief Inspector of Constabulary, rejected claims that his original inquiry was inadequate. In a letter to yesterday's London Times, Sir John said he regretted that the trial of the six men had been abandoned, adding: "Such a hearing would have been the proper place for allegations now raised by Michael Mansfield QC to be tested, including the presentation of vital forensic evidence.
The six prisoners who attempted to escape were IRA men, Paul Magee (48), Gilbert McNamee (36), Liam O Duibhir (34), Peter Sherry (31), and Liam McCotter (33), with armed robber, Andrew Russell (34).