Eight offenders abscond from HMP Kirkham in four months

Thomas Henderson is still on the run

Eight offenders have gone on the run from an open prison in Lancashire in the past four months and two are still at large.

Four prisoners have absconded from HMP Kirkham in October alone.

Police have issued wanted appeals for the offenders who either walked out or failed to return to the Category D training prison.

William Tams, 55, and Thomas Henderson, 44, who were jailed for five years and three years are still on the run.

Tams who was jailed for burglary and robbery offences walked out of HMP Kirkham on 9 August.

Meanwhile, Henderson who was convicted of burglary offences absconded on Tuesday.

HMP Kirkham is a category D open prison

Other absconders:

• Keith Knight, 26, from Southport. He is serving four year term for robbery and absconded on 17 June. He was found the following month.

• Philip Deens, 28, from Liverpool, failed to return from a temporary licence on 26 June. He is serving a nine year and nine months sentence imposed for wounding with intent. He was arrested in July.

• Brent West, 25, from Haslingden, Lancashire failed to return from temporary release on 6 September. He was arrested two days later.

• Christopher Hannon, 58, of Blackley, Greater Manchester, went missing on 1 October while serving an indeterminate life sentence for robbery. He was arrested in Manchester 12 days later.

• Paul Bogin, 48, of Carnforth, absconded on 4 October while serving a 876-day sentence for burglary and theft. He was apprehended in Morecambe four days later.

• Anthony Donnellan, 38, of Harpurhey, Greater Manchester, failed to return from temporary release from a drugs conviction on 8 October. He was arrested in Merseyside three days later.

The Ministry of Justice said: "Those who do abscond are returned to much tougher, closed prisons where they will have to serve additional time."

According to the National Offender Management Service there were 105 absconds in the financial year 2015/16 - a 42% reduction from the previous year.