It started with a strong espresso in a simple cafe on a side street in north London.

Several Algerian men were inside, a few others were outside on the pavement, smoking.

I'd been told the wanted prisoner might be in Finsbury Park, so I ordered a coffee and asked if they'd seen him.

Image: Spotting a man resembling the suspect, Tom and camera operator Josh Masters gave chase

They were happy to tell me that some of them knew Brahim Kaddour-Cherif - the 24-year-old offender who was on the run.

One of the customers revealed to me that he'd actually seen him the night before.

"He wants to hand himself to police," the friend said candidly.

This was the beginning of the end of Britain's most high-profile manhunt.

The Algerian convicted sex offender had been at large since 29 October, a

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