HOUSE burglar Kevin Dunn walked out of an open prison five hours after he was transferred to the jail.

And the 28-year-old from Swindon spent eight days on the run before he was arrested by police who found him hiding at a house in Liden.

Dunn was jailed for five years in January 2003 after admitting a series of break-ins at homes across the town.

Michael Butt, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court that the defendant had a long history of offending including many domestic burglaries.

He said "On January 31 2003 he was sentenced at this court for domestic burglaries to five years' in custody.

"In due course he ended up in the open prison at Leyhill in Gloucestershire. On January 5 this year he was found not to be present at roll call at 8.30pm that evening.

"It appears he had simply walked out of prison."

On Friday January 14 he said that police went to a property at Briarswood Court, Liden, looking for Dunn.

Mr Butt said "They identified themselves at the door but were not given entry and had to force entry.

"There they found three persons including Kevin Dunn.

"He was arrested for absconding and taken to Westlea police station where he was charged with escape."

Dunn, who has 125 previous convictions, appeared before magistrates the same day and the case was transferred to the crown court.

And within a week of his arrest he pleaded guilty to escape at Swindon Crown Court and was sentenced.

Mark Ruffell, defending, said: "He had just been moved to Leyhill. He had been there for five hours and on arrival he was met by a reception party of five prisoners.

"They said if he didn't do what they wanted and get his partner to bring drugs in on the next visit they would visit serious violence on him."

His client had thought about reporting the matter to the prison authorities, he said, but knew that after an investigation he would still get the beating and the threats would still be there.

He said that after walking out of the front gate his client returned to Swindon and went to see his family.

"There is no suggestion he committed another offence while at large.

"He didn't run or try to hide. He gave himself up to the police," he said.

He added that Dunn, who must have had a good prison record to be in an open prison, still had another eight months to serve of the original sentence as well any new term.

Jailing him for a further six months Judge Tom Longbotham said: "Any escape from custody is a serious offence.

"It strikes at the heart and the root of any prison discipline.

"It must be understood that anyone who escapes from an open or closed prison will be sentenced to a consecutive period of imprisonment."

Gareth Bethell