A MALVERN man accused of child rape was back in police custody yesterday (Thursday) after going on the run from prison.

David Parry, aged 30, was seen climbing into a car driven by a woman outside the gates of Blakenhurst Prison, near Redditch, on Tuesday morning.

He had appeared before Judge David McEvoy in Worcester the previous day to apply for bail to allow him to attend the funeral of his partner's mother.

Under the terms of his bail, Parry, who is accused of attacking a girl aged under 16, should have reported back to the prison by 6pm that evening.

However, he failed to return, sparking a full-scale hunt across the county.

Detective Inspector Damian Barratt, of West Mercia Police, said: "We are conducting an investigation into the circumstances."

No details have yet been released about how he returned to custody.

A spokesman for the Home Office prison service said: "The prison service only grants leave for a prisoner to attend the funeral of a direct family member.

"Prisoners held in Category B prisons like Blakenhurst would normally be escorted by at least two officers."

The story was featured in yesterday's edition of national tabloid The Sun, before Parry reappeared.

The paper attacked the judge for allowing Parry to attend the funeral unescorted, as part of a campaign against judges which it deems "soft".