A PRISONER committed an armed robbery while on the run after being told to make his own way to a new prison. Michael Burton, 32 had been jailed for nine years for a series of robberies. But Bolton Crown Court heard yesterday that he was given a travel warrant last November and told to take the train to an open prison.

He then disappeared for two months until he was arrested at a house in Queen Street, Radcliffe, on December 27 last year after an armed robbery at the Greencroft petrol station in nearby New Road, Radcliffe.

A judge at Bolton Crown Court sentenced Burton to 13 years' in prison.

Judge John Phipps directed that sentence should start when Burton had completed the nine years' stretch.

His partner in the robbery, Martin Rankin, 29, of Water Street, Radcliffe, was jailed for 11 years.

Prosecuting, Paul McDonald, described how Sandra Sander was working alone at Greencroft at 5.30am when the two men smashed the door in. She locked herself in the office, pressed the alarm button, dialled 999 then watched the men on a security video while they struggled in vain to open the shop till. They escaped with £250 in loose change.

Police followed the men's footprints in the snow to the house in nearby Queen Street.

Because of the report that they had a shotgun, the officers waited for armed colleagues to arrive, Mr McDonald said.

While they were waiting, Rankin came out of the house and was arrested. He was found to have £65 in loose change on him.

The house was then stormed and a sawn-off shotgun with ammunition was found in the bedroom occupied by Burton, Mr McDonald said.

Both men pleaded not guilty to robbery and possession of a firearm.

Burton told the court that a man had called at the house earlier that morning and had given him a bag "to look after".

He said he was afraid to refuse because of recriminations. He did not know there was a gun in the bag, he claimed. Rankin gave no evidence on his own behalf.

A spokesman for the Prison Service said it was normal practice for some prisoners coming to the end of a sentence and being transferred to an open prison to be given a travel warrant and sent on a train unescorted.

A spokesman said: "Decisions like this are not taken lightly and there is a detailed risk assessment.

"It is based on trust and unfortunately there are those who abuse that trust. Obviously if that happens he is returned to closed conditions and penalised."

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