A man who absconded from an open prison has been tracked down and arrested by officers in Tunbridge Wells.
The man had been in custody at HMP Standford Hill, where he was nearing the end of a custodial sentence for a serious assault carried out in the Sussex area.
On Saturday 10 June 2023, Smith was granted release on a temporary licence for the purposes of resettlement. This allowed him to be away from the prison between 9am and 7pm, however he failed to return later that evening.
On Tuesday 20 June, officers from the Tunbridge Wells Neighbourhood Task Force were carrying out patrols as part of the force’s Safer Summer initiative.
They spotted the prisoner in an area of Rusthall, who was arrested and taken into custody after a short foot pursuit.
The 22-year-old was then charged with an offence of a temporarily released prisoner being unlawfully at large.
On Thursday 22 June, he pleaded guilty before Medway Magistrates’ Court and received an additional 30-day sentence and recalled to prison.