Eddie Maher case: Lawyer hopeful over reward payout

The lawyer representing the ex-daughter-in-law of fugitive Eddie Maher said he was still hopeful she could claim a reward for turning him in.

Maher, 57, was jailed for five years earlier this month after admitting theft of a security van holding £1.2m from Felixstowe, Suffolk, in 1993.

He was arrested in Missouri last year after Jessica King tipped off police.

Her lawyer Brandon Potter said he believed she was entitled to the £100,000 reward offered after the raid.

Maher, formerly of South Woodham Ferrers, Essex, was working as a guard for Securicor when he stole the van from outside Lloyds Bank in Felixstowe on 22 January 1993.

He spent 19 years on the run before his capture in February last year.

Maher - nicknamed "Fast Eddie" - admitted theft at Southwark Crown Court, which heard he was arrested after Ms King, his son Lee's ex-wife, contacted the authorities to tell them he was a wanted man.

Earlier this month she told ITV's Daybreak she was not motivated by the reward offered by Securicor following the raid, saying: "I was in fear for my life and, to be honest, it was just the right thing to do."

A spokesman for G4S said: "At the time of Mr Maher's disappearance, Securicor's insurers offered a reward for information which led to the return of the stolen money.

"Maher has been found but the sum he stole has never been recovered and this was the basis on which the reward was offered.

"Despite this, we acknowledge the important role that Jessica King played in Maher's extradition and conviction and we will be in touch with her legal team in the near future."

Mr Potter, Ms King's attorney in Springfield, Missouri, said the company had been in contact but that he could not reveal further details.

"I do appreciate G4S made communication with us and we hope to continue discussions with them," he said.

But he said the terms of the reward as reported by the media had varied over the years, with no retraction from Securicor or G4S.

"In my opinion, a reward that is not paid if a penny of the money stolen is not recovered is what we could call an illusory offer," he said.

"My client has suffered financially from turning Mr Maher in. The right thing to do is to pay her the reward.

"She came forward in good faith. To not pay her would do nothing to encourage people in the future to turn in those who are wanted."