A CONVICT that ‘just walked out’ of a prison in Appleton Thorn and went on the run for five days after being there for less than a week has been jailed.

Mark Yates was serving a sentence for violent offences at HMP Thorn Cross when he absconded from prison on May 22 at around 6.30pm

Chester Crown Court heard on Tuesday that officers noticed that Yates, 43, was missing while conducting a routine search.

His cell was checked, and it was confirmed that Yates, who has 47 previous convictions for 110 offences, had escaped the prison and that his belongings were missing.

He was on the run for five days before he was found and arrested at an undisclosed address on May 27, where he threatened to assault officers.

The defence for Yates, Miss Bate, told the court that the motivation behind his escape were due to concerns about a family members health.

Judge Thompson noted that he must take into account the fact that Yates ‘just walked out’ of HMP Thorn Cross after being there for ‘less than a week’, and that he ‘had to be found’ rather than handing himself in.

The court also heard that this is the second time Yates has escaped from prison.

Yates was sentenced to eight months imprisonment to be served consecutively to his current sentence.