A man who absconded from HMP Thorn Cross in Warrington and went on the run for four days is set to spend even longer in prison!
Liam Stevenson appeared at Chester Crown Court on Friday, 17 October, where he pleaded guilty to escaping lawful custody. As a result of his guilty plea, Stevenson, of HMP Thorn Cross, was jailed for nine months.
The court heard that in 2021, the 30-year-old was handed a six-year and nine-month custodial sentence. Following this initial sentence, Stevenson was also handed a further six-month sentence in 2022 and a 24-week sentence in 2024 in relation to separate incidents
This meant that Stevenson, who had been at HMP Thorn Cross prison since February 2025, was set to be released in 2027.
However, five months later, on 26 July 2025, Stevenson left the facility, being captured on CCTV shuffling past a security barrier and jogging away from the building.
A short time later, Cheshire Police were notified that Stevenson had left the premises and not returned, with a search for him being conducted by colleagues from Lancashire Police.
On 30 July, just four days later, Stevenson was located and arrested just under 40 miles away in Blackburn, before being brought back to Cheshire for interview.
Following his arrest, he asked the attending officers, now that he had been caught, how they managed to track him down. No response was given.
However, he had become increasingly violent during his visit to custody, making violent threats to custody officers and spitting at his cell door hatch where officers could look in on him.
The decision was made that he posed a high risk to officer safety and was subsequently not interviewed but rather charged and remanded in custody and being further remanded by the courts.
Detective Constable Heidi Ryder of Warrington CID said:“The irony is that Stevenson’s attempt to get away from Thorn Cross has actually resulted in him spending even longer in the prison he currently calls home.
“This extension of his sentence also means that he will not be set for release until early 2028 and, we can assure the public that his behaviour will be continually monitored when the time correct time for him to leave the facility comes around.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the department and officers involved in this case, including our colleagues from Lancashire Constabulary, whose combined efforts resulted in the location of this offender who, wrongly, thought he could quite easily escape from prison undetected and without any serious consequences”.
