As a child, there was a thrilling danger about growing up close to the open prison known as HMP North Sea Camp. My friends and I would ride our bikes up to nearby Freiston, Lincolnshire, which is where the prison stood between the town and the marshland coast. We would dare each other to inch closer to the gates, only talking in whispers. When the danger felt too close we would turn and pedal our little legs as fast as possible, never looking back until we were sure we were long from view.
This week, an inmate escaped from the category D prison, which has minimal security and allows eligible prisoners to spend most of their day away from the prison. The sex offender Paul Robson, 56, absconded on Sunday 13 February, spending four days on the run before being arrested on Thursday in Skegness. Robson had been given a life sentence in 2000 for attempted rape and indecent sexual assault.
