THE daughter-in-law of fugitive Eddie Maher has said she handed him into US authorities because she feared for her life after finding out his real identity.
Maher – known as "Fast Eddie" – was jailed for five years for the 1993 theft of a security van containing £1.2 million at Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday.
The 57-year-old spent almost 20 years on the run in the US before being arrested in February 2012.
The court heard Maher's life unravelled when his son Lee King's disgruntled ex-wife, Jessica, told US authorities he was wanted.
Speaking on television, Ms King said she was not motivated by the £100,000 reward offered by Securicor for the capture of Maher, originally from Essex, and return of the money.
She said: "I was in fear for my life and to be honest it was just the right thing to do. When Eddie found out I knew, he threatened my life so really it had to be done."
Asked whether the reward had played any part in her decision, she added: "I didn't even know the reward was real.
"Lee had gone on a rant about it once or twice but I didn't even know that was true until the FBI arrested Eddie."
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