HMP Kirkham inmate fined after absconding for "short period"

Anthony Sinnott, 41, who is held at HMP Kirkham, pleaded guilty to a charge of being unlawfully at large after the expiry of the period for which he had been released.

Preston Magistrates’ Court heard he was missing from the jail between April 30 and May 1 this year.

The bench ordered him to pay a £40 fine.

He must also pay a £34 surcharge.

The bench accepted he had committed no further offences, that it was unplanned and that he was at large for a very short period.

The Category D male prison has the worst record in the UK for absconding inmates, according to Ministry of Justice figures in January, with at least 135 people absconding in the past six years.

In many cases inmates fail to return after being allowed out to work.

The previous year, the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) said it still believed - as in previous years - that despite assurances from the prisons minister, prisoners are sent there who are not suitable for open conditions.