A MAN who absconded from a Warrington prison and spent more than a day on the run died in custody.

Anthony Peloe was serving time in HMP Thorn Cross in Appleton Thorn for a firearm possession offence in May 2014 before fleeing the open prison.

The 50-year-old spent 36 hours avoiding police, walking through Warrington across farmer's fields to return to his native Speke.

He was eventually located however and told officers that he fled the prison due to fears he could be attacked over a tobacco debt.

No stranger to custody, in 2005 Peloe was sentenced to an indeterminate sentence for public protection for conspiracy to commit robbery and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.

He was released from prison in February 2019, but was recalled to HMP Liverpool in July 2020 after being arrested and charged with robbery.

A report by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman has now been published following an independent investigation into his death.

This concludes that Peloe died from heart disease associated with the use of a psychoactive substance inside the prison at the age of 50.

He previously went on the run from HM Prison Thorn Cross in Appleton Thorn

He previously went on the run from HM Prison Thorn Cross in Appleton Thorn

It adds that while HMP Liverpool has strengthened its strategy to combat the availability of drugs inside, the death ‘highlights the need for continued vigilance’.

The report states that Peloe had a history of heroin misuse and was in receipt of methadone. He also had a history of heart disease, for which he was receiving medication.

At 6am on January 27 last year, a prison officer knocked on Peloe’s cell door to remind him that he would be collected at 7am for a video-link court appearance.

At 7am, an officer unlocked the door and found Peloe unresponsive. Prison and healthcare staff attempted to resuscitate him and paramedics shortly arrived, however his death was confirmed.

Staff found drug paraphernalia in his cell and a post-mortem showed that Peloe died from ischemic and hypertensive heart disease and psychoactive substance use.

HMP Liverpool holds up to 700 adult male prisoners on remand and serving short sentences.

Peloe was the 11th prisoner to die at the prison since January 2019. Of the previous deaths, eight were from natural causes, one was self-inflicted, and one was drug related.