Roberts hid out in Thorley Wood near Bishop's Stortford in Hertfordshire to avoid the huge manhunt. He used his military training (he had served as a soldier during the Malayan Emergency) to avoid police capture for three months. A £1,000 reward (equivalent to £19,000 in 2020) was offered for information leading to his arrest. He was finally arrested on 15 November whilst sleeping in a barn at Blount's Farm near Thorley Wood. Roberts was familiar with the area as he had often visited it as a child with his mother.