Shropshire Star

Sex offender in jail escape to Telford moved to securer unit

A sex offender who escaped from prison to Telford has been sent to a higher-security unit.

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Richard Lloyd, 34, had been in custody at HMP Leyhill, south Gloucestershire, when he escaped on December 4 last year.

Lloyd, of no fixed address, was found squatting four days later when he was arrested. Shrewsbury Crown Court heard he found the "temptation too great to resist".

He jumped a six-foot fence and made his way to Bristol before getting a lift to Telford where he had family links.

Lloyd, who admitted a charge of escaping from custody at a previous hearing, was sentenced at court yesterday.

Mr Peter Cooke, prosecuting, said that on November 30, Lloyd had been moved from a closed prison to the "more open environment" of Leyhill, where prisoners are required to stay within the grounds unless accompanied or given a temporary licence to leave. Mr Cooke said: "During the routine roll call it was realised that he was unaccounted for and not on the premises."

The court heard he had a "lengthy record" and had been serving an indeterminate sentence for sexual offences.

Mr Cooke said his intention was to see family over the Christmas period before handing himself in to police. Miss Samantha Powis, for Lloyd,said he had committed no offences while at large, and had used no violence when escaping or being arrested.

Judge Peter Barrie said: "I accept it was not a violent escape and you committed no offences while over that four-day period."

Lloyd was given credit for an early guilty plea and Judge Barrie handed the defendant a six-month sentence to run at the same time as his indeterminate sentence.

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