- Michael John Ashworth, 57, was released on licence from HMP Sudbury in 1995
- But he went missing with 18 months still to serve and has been wanted ever since
- On Sunday he was held in Calais after trying to board a Eurotunnel shuttle to UK
A convict who absconded from prison 22 years ago is back behind bars after he tried to enter Britain through the Channel Tunnel.
Michael John Ashworth, 57, was released on licence from HMP Sudbury in Derbyshire in 1995, where he was serving a five-year jail term for drugs offences.
But he went missing with 18 months still to serve, and has been wanted by the police and prison service ever since. It is believed he has been living in Holland.
A convict who absconded from prison 22 years ago is back behind bars after he tried to enter Britain through the Channel Tunnel (file image)
On Sunday he was held in Coquelles in Calais, France, after trying to board a Kent-bound Eurotunnel shuttle to the UK.
The BBC reports that Medway magistrates said Ashworth, who was arrested by Kent Police officers, must now serve the rest of his sentence.
He had been accused of escaping from lawful custody, but the case was withdrawn by magistrates who heard he was on temporary licence and should not have been charged with the offence.
Ashworth said he had told police he wanted to hand himself in.