Police pull out of pursuit of desperate man on yacht 'Sea Oak'

After a five hour stand-off a Tonga Police Search and Rescue boat was forced to pull out of a pursuit of the yacht 'Sea Oak' at 4:30pm today, after fugitive murder suspect Dean Jay Fletcher had fired several flares at the small police boat and threatened to set fire to it in northwest Vava'u waters, following his escape from custody in Neiafu earlier. International police services, maritime networks and commercial flights have been alerted for sightings of the desperate man.