A KILLER who escaped from prison was found by police hiding under a pile of clothes at his sister’s home.

Shane Farrington absconded from lawful custody for a fourth time when he walked out of HMP Thorn Cross last month.

Chester Crown Court, sitting at Chester Magistrates Court, heard on Monday, April 25, that the 39-year-old was serving a life sentence at the time – having been found guilty of manslaughter in 2009 after he attacked and killed a fellow inmate at HMP Peterborough the previous year.

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On Tuesday, March 15, he was transferred to the Appleton Thorn jail from HMP Standford Hill in Kent.

Only nine days later on Thursday, March 24, Farrington was not present on his unit when a roll check was carried out at around 5pm.

But CCTV footage subsequently showed that he had only left the open prison at around 6.45pm.

Cheshire Police launched a manhunt for the convict and raided a house in Liverpool the following evening.

Officers found Farrington inside the property, hiding in a bedroom under clothing.

After his arrest, he stated under interview that he had been ‘knocked back’ for parole and was ‘struggling’ with his mental health.

Following his escape, which was described by the prosecution as ‘opportunistic’, he had ‘walked for ages’ before going to his sister’s home.

In total, Farrington – of no fixed address – was at large for around 26 hours.

He admitted escaping from lawful custody during an earlier hearing, his fourth conviction for such an offence.

Having fled during spells inside in 2001 and 2008, he most recently went on the run in 2018 after absconding while being treated for a head injury in hospital.

Philip Tully, defending, told the court that his client had previously been released from his manslaughter sentence twice but was later recalled – on one occasion after losing his accommodation.

Mr Tully added: “The only disposal is one of immediate custody.

“The trigger seems to have been the knock back from the parole hearing.

“He was settled in another prison but was then moved to Thorn Cross and was struggling for days without assistance with his mental health. He accepts what he did was wrong and deserves to be punished.”

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Appearing in court via video link to HMP Altcourse, Farrington was handed a further year behind bars.

Sentencing, judge Patrick Thompson said: “You had recently been transferred to Thorn Cross.

“It seems that your application for parole had been unsuccessful, and it led to you walking out of the open prison. You were inside for a very serious offence.

“You were at large for a relatively short period, but having said that the real aggravating features in your case are the sentence you were serving for the offence of manslaughter and this is your fourth conviction for the offence of escape.”

He was also told to pay a victim surcharge.

Also appearing in the same courtroom on the same morning was Lee Thorpe, who also pleaded guilty to escaping from lawful custody after absconding from HMP Thorn Cross on March 26 this year – two days after Farrington fled the prison.

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The 36-year-old, of Salford, was serving a 10-and-a-half year sentence for blinding his 19-year-old victim in one eye and leaving him scarred for life after throwing bleach in his face during an unprovoked attack in Darwen, Lancashire.

He will be sentenced in May.