Prisoner scaled walls over 'broken promise' of release date, before heading to Castleford
A prisoner climbed the walls of an open prison and fled after claiming he was promised he would be released.
John Eastman, who has more than 150 offences on his record, was later found hiding under the bed at his girlfriend’s house in Castleford a day later.
The 43-year-old had been serving time at HMP Kirkham, near Blackpool, Lancashire, for multiple breaches of a criminal behaviour order (CBO) and shop thefts.
But on June 11 this year, he went missing from the Category D prison. Staff were alerted to his disappearance about an hour later, Leeds Crown Court heard.
CCTV cameras were checked and showed Eastman approaching the perimeter fence and climbing over.
Appearing in court via video link from HMP Leeds, he admitted a charge of escaping from lawful custody. He has 36 convictions for 157 previous offences, the majority being for theft.
Eastman, formerly of Wesley Street, Wakefield, was jailed in August of last year for 17 thefts from a supermarket, when he brazenly walked into a Sainsbury’s and repeatedly took items totaling hundreds of pounds.
He was already on a CBO designed to curb his criminal ways. The drug addict was jailed for 20 months on that occasion.
Mitigating, Abigail Langford said Eastman claimed he was told he would be released on June 6 this year, only for it to be changed to June 9.
She said he was then told by the governor there had been a mistake and he would not be released yet. She said Eastman had told his family he was being released, so out of frustration climbed over the prison wall.
However, Judge Andrew Stubbs KC was unhappy that Eastman’s official release date had not been clarified for the court, although Eastman claimed it was soon.
Judge Stubbs told him: “I’m not prepared to your word for it, from someone who has committed 157 previous offences.”
He adjourned the case until September 17 and told Eastman he should expect to have more time added to his existing sentence.