Fugitive who sparked manhunt inhales balloon on a police car at a rave

Daryl Taylor poses alongside a police officer and inhales an unknown substance from a balloon on the bonnet of a force car (Picture: Daryl Taylor/Facebook)

A convicted fugitive who triggered a huge manhunt after he went on the run is shown posing next to a police officer at an outdoor rave. 

Daryl Taylor, who has distinctive facial tattoos, was also filmed inhaling from a balloon on the bonnet of a police car as he partied at the festival. 

The 33-year-old posted the images on social media while on licence from a prison sentence for two offences and around a month before he tried to escape a recall by absconding from police custody at a hospital.

He is also shown dancing by a speaker stack at the rave and displaying his taste for fast cars and motorbikes before his freedom came to an end.

Taylor is now serving a 16-month jail sentence over the escape attempt.

Daryl Taylor poses next to a police officer in a video shared a few weeks before he was at the centre of a police manhunt (Picture: Daryl Taylor/Facebook)

In other shots, Taylor, from Ipswich, flaunts his extensive face, arm and body tattoos in bodybuilder poses.

A caption on one of the videos, which shows his ‘damage’ facial tattoo, reads: ‘Look tired and rough as f*** haha.’  

Another clip shows him dancing in an open building with a police car in the background and appearing to inhale nitrous oxide from a bottle.  

Taylor absconded from Ipswich Hospital at around 10pm on August 11 after being transferred there to receive treatment, having complained of pain from a bike accident several days earlier.

Daryl Taylor is shown inhaling an unknown substance from a balloon on the bonnet of a police car at a rave (Picture: Daryl Taylor/Facebook)

After his handcuffs had been removed for a scan, he asked to go to the toilet and to get some fresh air, according to Suffolk Police. 

Taylor instead fled by jumping on the back of a high-powered motorbike which was waiting outside the emergency unit.  

Daryl Taylor is shown living a party lifestyle in social media posts before he was given a prison term (Picture: Daryl Taylor/Facebook)

He had been arrested earlier in the day over the recall for breaching the terms of his licence.

This followed his release from a three-year prison term imposed in 2023 for assault causing actual bodily harm and attempting to pervert the course of justice.  

Ipswich man Daryl Taylor was tracked down by police after going on the run during a trip to hospital (Picture: Suffolk Police)

The wanted man had also been arrested on suspicion of alleged child sex offences for which he was later found not guilty at court.

He was recaptured in the Rendlesham area on August 14 following a police appeal and a £5,000 reward offered by Crimestoppers for information that could help detectives track him down.  

The operation to locate Taylor involved Suffolk Constabulary’s Police Support Unit, Sentinel Team, local officers and Roads and Armed policing Team, and was also attended by the National Police Air Service.  

Superintendent Andy Martin said at the time: ‘I want to thank the officers and staff involved in arresting Daryl Taylor this evening for their unwavering and relentless efforts in locating him.’

Supt Martin added: ‘We would also like to thank members of the public for their support.’

Taylor was given a 16-month jail sentence for escaping from lawful custody at Ipswich Crown Court on April 14.  

He was found not guilty of all the child sex offences by a jury after a trial in February at the court.

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