A convicted drug dealer on the run from prison was nabbed by police after the heartbreaking funeral of his partner and baby who tragically died in childbirth.
Police respectfully waited until Thomas Leatherbarrow left the funeral before ending his 20 months of freedom and returning him to jail.
Details of the tragic background emerged at Liverpool Crown Court today (Thursday, September, 30) for sentencing after admitting a charge of being a temporarily released prisoner unlawfully at large.
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Leatherbarrow, 28, had been serving six years and two months in Kirkham open prison in Lancashire for drug trafficking and failing to surrender to bail when the offence occurred.
But just 18-months into his sentence he successfully applied to the Parole Board for temporary day release dates under a re-settlement programme. These were fixed to take place between December 2018 and the following April.
However after his second day release on December 29 he never came back, said Peter Hussey, prosecuting.
He said: “Police searched for him without success and there was information late last year he had been hospitalised in Spain and arrangements were going to be made for a European Arrest Warrant to be issued.
“But he discharged himself before that could take place. It was not until August this year that police located him.”
After leaving the funeral of his young partner and their baby son on the afternoon of August 24 the car he was in was stopped in Elmswood Road, Aigburth, and he was arrested and taken back to custody.
His barrister Julian Nutter said that the background to the case was “extremely unusual.”
He said: “What had happened was that the birth had gone horribly wrong and they both died.
“The police, to their great credit, waiting until he was in a car leaving the funeral before arresting him and he thanked them and through me he thanks them again.”
Mr Nutter said that after while on day release he had gone to visit his mum and she died two weeks later.
He attended her funeral and never went back.
He said that Leatherbarrow was also under pressure “from individuals in the underworld” to take banned items back with him to the prison but he felt he could not return.
He went on holiday to Spain but for most of the time he was on Merseyside living with his partner and her five-year-old son, who regards him as his father.
Leatherbarrow is now in Altcourse prison on Merseyside where he has got himself a job in the staff quarters and is continuing his sentence, he said.
Mr Nutter said: “He is absolutely shocked by what has happened in his life and wishes to communicate that his intention on release is to go straight. He is all that little boy has and he wants to go back to be a dad to him.”
The court heard that he has eight previous convictions for 11 offences including drugs supply in 2010 and 2011, escape and the six year term he received at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court in June 2017 again for drug trafficking plus two months for failing to surrender to bail.
Judge Andrew Menary, QC, the Recorder of Liverpool, imposed a 10-month sentence to run consecutively to the sentence he is currently serving.
He described his actions in not returning after his day release as being “plainly quite deliberate.”
He said: “You made no effort to hand yourself in and but for your arrest the likelihood is you would have continued to be unlawfully at large.”
He pointed out that he had previously been convicted of serious offences and failing to surrender.
He said: “You perhaps were fortunate to be given the opportunity for this re-settlement programme given your record, all bad convictions, and the fact you were only 18 months into a six year two month sentence. You failed to take advantage of the opportunity you were then being given.”
He also told Leatherbarrow, of no fixed address, who appeared via video link, “I note the dreadful personal circumstances that befell you during this 20 month period.”
