Dangerous armed robber sent back to jail after prison escape

Dean Walker, 33, locked horticultural instructor Joseph Watson, 59, in a concrete shed and stole his keys and utility belt in his bid to flee the remote Category C prison in Cumbria.

As terrified Mr Watson - who has a heart condition - shouted for help he spotted Walker dangling from the razor wire at the top of the fence by his clothing.

But Walker wriggled free and fled the prison - and was found three days later in his home city of Manchester.

Judge Philip Parry sentenced Walker to six years behind bars to run consecutively to the 11 year sentence he is serving for armed robbery.

In May 2016 he was branded a dangerous offender and jailed for a string of robberies, including one in which a woman was “dragged around like a ragdoll” at knifepoint at her workplace in Bolton.

But just five months into his sentence, Walker, of Cleveland Road, Manchester, launched his bid for freedom.

On October 28 he was working in the farm area with Mr Watson and a number of other inmates.

At around 12pm Mr Watson was putting tools away in the shed when he felt a sensation across his back and turned to see Walker, inches from his face.

Watson demanded his keys but as Mr Walker reached for the panic button on his radio, attached to his utility belt, Walker held the radio up to him and laughed - as he had already stolen it.

Mr Watson handed over his keys and followed Walker’s demands to sit on a chair.

As the inmate fled the shed, he shouted at Mr Watson that he must not follow him or watch where he was going.

He locked the iron fence, leaving Mr Watson inside the shed with no means of escape, and used the keys to steal a ladder from a nearby shed and scale the prison wall.

Police launched a search operation but Walker remained at large for three days until he was found in a garden in Agnew Road, Manchester - still wearing his prison trousers.

As he was arrested, he made no reply to the caution, but “barked like a dog”, the court heard.

In a victim statement, Mr Watson said he had suffered extreme anxiety as a result of the incident.

He said: “I found out Dean had been in for knife offences and I was blaming myself for what had happened.

“It was like a world of ifs and buts that play on my mind and cause me to well up on occasion.

“I will not forget Dean’s eyes that day. The memory unsettles me.”

When asked why he had committed the offences, Walker told his lawyer “it wa just a stupid thing to doi.”

He pleaded guilty to false imprisonment, escape from lawful custody and theft.

Judge Parry, sentencing, said: “You were a dangerous offender at large for three days before you were apprehended in Manchester, many miles away from where you were.

“The public would have been aware that a dangerous knife wielding offender like you was at large in their area having locked up a civillian in Haverigg and escaping over the wall.

“This took concerted planning and was well executed.

“It required and resulted in the false imprisonment of a civillian instructor who was in poor health.

“Escapes from the prison estate are always very serious offences, indeed so are false imprisonments.”

Speaking after the sentence, Detective Inspector Adrian Johnson of Cumbria Constabulary said: “Following the incident a joint Cumbria Constabulary and HMP Gold command group was established to ensure the full weight of both organisations resources were brought to bear on capturing Mr Walker.

“Cumbria Police Officers worked closely with our colleagues from Greater Manchester Police and North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (TITAN) to capture Mr Walker in the Gorton area of Manchester area.

“This was an intelligence led operation, the priority at all times being to make sure that members of the public were kept from harm and today’s sentence reflects the gravity of Mr Walker’s actions.”

Tony Corcoran, HMP Haverigg Governor, said: “Mr Walker’s actions had a considerable impact upon the HMP Haverigg and its prisoners. Prison Gold command located in London, was set up to offer support, advice and resources. The Prison regime for the following day was impacted upon due to the unavailability of staff who had to stay late on the night of 28 October.

“Approximately 40 additional staff from various prison establishments in the North West, as well as off duty Haverigg staff, were called in to assist with the incident. I am grateful for the assistance given to us by the Police, Ambulance and the Fire Brigade services who were employed throughout the incident on both days.”