Jailed for six years

Warren Bamford, aged 27, walked out of Hewell Grange prison while he was serving a five-year sentence for burglary.

He broke into a woman's home in Appletree Close, Bromsgrove, and stole cash before taking a £15,000 Audi from a driveway in Barnt Green, said prosecutor Adam Western.

Bamford, of Wychbury Road, Bartley Green, led police on an 85mph chase before crashing into a stationary car and being arrested. His record of 106 previous offences - 30 of them house burglaries - was "simply awful", said Judge Andrew Geddes.

The defendant had not learned anything in jail, he went on, and the moment he was freed was likely to start offending straight away.

The judge said Bamford's devoted mother - who was at Worcester Crown Court to see her son sentenced - had been let down on many occasions by her drug-addict son.

He told Bamford to reflect on his life while serving his sentence or he would spend most of it locked up.

Bamford, who pleaded guilty to escape, burglary, attempted burglary, theft, dangerous driving, driving while banned and while uninsured, absconded from Hewell Grange in Hewell Lane on November 26 last year, said Mr Western.

He got into the Bromsgrove house while the owner was washing her car on the drive.

The Audi was driven at 45mph over speed bumps in Northfield, which alerted police. They caught him on December 7.

Bamford asked for another raid and attempted burglary to be taken into consideration.

Sally Hancox, defending, said he walked out of Hewell Grange because he ran up a drug debt with other inmates.

He had been trusted at the low-security jail, but had succumbed to weakness.

Miss Hancox said he always committed burglary to fund his drug craving, but was an articulate and likeable man.

Bamford had been in and out of custody since the age of 15 and was the only one of five children to turn out a crook.