Ford prison absconder back behind bars

Derek Passmore, now 50, was recaptured after failing to return to HMP Ford on June 22, 2013 whilst released on temporary licence.

He absconded after being sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of an acquaintance in London in 1997.

PC Lewis Dines, of the Chichester-based team leading the investigations on all absconders from HMP Ford, said: “Passmore was released on a temporary licence from Ford prison and failed to return by the end of the allotted period. A significant amount of work involving teams in Sussex and colleagues in the Metropolitan Police Service was undertaken, but he maintained a low profile and remained evasive.

“However, we recently received information about his whereabouts, which led to his successful and uneventful recapture in the Hove area on Thursday (December 24).”

Passmore has been charged with escaping lawful custody and has been detained at HMP Lewes. He will serve the remainder of his original sentence and also be sentenced for failing to return to HMP Ford.

Anyone with any information about an absconder from HMP Ford can contact 101@sussex.pnn.police.uk or call 101 quoting Sussex reference Op Parcel. You can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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