Ford absconder from Sompting ‘caught in less than a day’

Lewis Berry, 22, absconded from the prison at some time between 1pm and 5pm on Wednesday (August 6).

Berry, formerly of Test Road, Sompting, had been jailed for four years and six months in February 2013 after he and three teenagers attacked and robbed an 18-year-old in Buckingham Road, Shoreham.

All four defendants were jailed for their part in the attack.

Officers were told Berry was missing at 5.45pm on Wednesday by prison staff.

Berry is now back in prison after pressure from officers, working with the prison service, persuaded him to give himself up.

He was charged with escaping from lawful custody and remanded in custody and was due to appear at Crawley Magistrates’ Court today.

Detective Inspector Dave Grover said: “Thanks to good work from officers contacting a number of possible witnesses and people who knew Berry, he handed himself in at Southwick Square the day after absconding.

“We are determined to catch and arrest every person who absconds from prison or who fails to return after being allowed out on licence and are grateful to the media and the public for all the help they give us.”