A prisoner with links to Brighton and Hove and who was jailed for violence has absconded from an open prison.
Derbyshire Constabulary warned people not to approach Frankie O’Leary who jailed for almost eight years in 2021 for assault causing grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent.
The force said yesterday (Tuesday 16 January) that it was appealing for the public’s help to catch a prisoner who had absconded from Sudbury Prison, near Derby.
Derbyshire Constabulary said: “Frankie Michael O’Leary left the prison at around 5.30pm on Friday 12 January.
“The 26-year-old, who was sentenced to seven years and 10 months for GBH with intent in 2021, is 5ft 10in tall, has brown hair, which is short on the sides and longer on top, and is of slight build, with blue eyes.
“He was last seen wearing a pair of black Under Armour tracksuit bottoms, a black Puffa jacket and a pair of white and grey Nike trainers.
“Members of the public are asked not to approach O’Leary and instead contact the police quoting Derbyshire reference 1190-120124.”
The police said that O’Leary had links to Brighton and Hove as well as London, the Biggleswade area of Bedfordshire, Llandudno, in north Wales, Poole, in Dorset, Lymington, in Hampshire, and the Swindon area of Wiltshire, among others.
Before he was jailed for GBH three years ago, O’Leary was also sent to prison for a number of distraction burglaries in 2016 when he targeted old people, mostly in Bedfordshire.
He was jailed for three years at Luton Crown Court after he admitted five offences of scamming or trying to con elderly victims.
O’Leary told one elderly woman that he was from a housing association but she asked to see his identification and refused to give him any money when he could not show her any ID.
She called her local housing association and the police caught the conman while he was still in the area.
At Sudbury, a category D open prison, O’Leary would be subject to minimal security, with eligible prisoners given the freedom to spend much of their day away on licence.
Inmates are often away from the prison either to carry out work, undertake education or training for other reasons aimed at resettling and rehabilitating them on their formal release.
