An inmate was caught hiding in an attic after fleeing prison to spend Christmas with his girlfriend, a court heard.
Sean Harding was found in the loft of his partner's home after he absconded from a Category D prison in Lancashire on December 22, last year. The defendant, who is from Stockton, managed to evade police for around five weeks before he was caught.
He appeared at Teesside Crown Court on Tuesday via videolink from Durham Prison after pleading guilty to escaping from lawful custody at a plea and trial preparation hearing on February 27.
