Nottingham Evening Post picture editor Steve Mitchell has told how the paper managed to grab the first picture of Neil Entwistle after a long stakeout of his parents' home paid off.

Steve said the photograph of Worksop man Neil, who fled the US after his wife and daughter were shot dead, had been the "exception that proved the rule".

When photographer Paul Saxby grabbed the picture, only he and a snapper from the Daily Mirror were at the scene.

The Post was able to splash the picture on the front page of its late final under the heading 'world exclusive' as the Mirror could not publish it until the following day.

As soon as the Post's picture was published it created enormous media interest, and has since appeared on both sides of the Atlantic.

Steve told HoldtheFrontPage: "Everyone in the media knows how tedious and time-consuming stakeouts can be and you question why you do them, but this was the exception that proved the rule."

The Post began its vigil outside the Worksop house as soon as it learnt of the local connection, and had a photographer waiting outside the house on a rota system between 7am and 11pm for two days without success.

But at 10.30am on the third day, when most of the media had given up or were pursuing other leads, Neil came out of the house and got into a car.

Steve said: "For two days there had been absolutely no sign of anything and there was no real intelligence that he was in the house - that was our connection but no-one knew where he was.

"But patience paid off and to the amazement of our photographer and reporter he came out.

"It took a lot of resources as Worksop is an hour-and-a-quarter drive, but it produced fantastic results."

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