The prisoner escaped from Bedford’s Category B prison and cycled 40 miles before police gave chase

A prisoner who escaped from a category B prison in Bedford has been recaptured after cycling 40 miles to London.

Inspectors from the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) revealed an escape occurred in July last year, describing it as a “very rare occurrence”.

The unnamed man from HMP Bedford, a 400-place prison in Bedfordshire, managed to sneak out of prison on July 8.

He managed to escape the visiting area of ​​the prison just before 2pm but was caught cycling towards London on the A1 just after 4pm that same day.

The unnamed man from HMP Bedford (pictured), a 400-place prison in Bedfordshire, managed to sneak out of prison on July 8

He was around 40 miles from prison – near Borehamwood in Hertfordshire – before he was caught by police officers who had been placed on “high alert” after the escape.

He is believed to have stolen the bike from the prison’s bike repair shop, which opened in 2022 and employs seven inmates.

In a report released last week, IMF inspectors captioned an entry “escape” and added: “It is very unusual for this section to appear in an annual report as an escape from prison is a very rare occurrence.

“However, in July 2022, a prisoner escaped; he was recaptured within hours.’

The report doesn’t detail exactly what happened – as an investigation is ongoing – but added: “The prisoner left the Visitation Centre, although the exact circumstances are still being investigated.

After fleeing at 2pm, he was caught on the A1 (pictured) cycling towards London two hours later

“We are unable to comment further at this time, but from what we know it appears to be related to an unusual set of circumstances and does not represent an inherent failure of prison security.”

Reports at the time of the escape revealed that there was a “massive police presence” in the area just after 2 p.m. on July 8.

Officials fell after receiving reports of a man cycling on the A1 near Borehamwood near the junction with the M1 motorway – and about 10 miles from central London.

A prison source said: “He’s done quite well getting out of prison at all – HMP Bedford is a Category B prison and not easy to get out of.

The prisoner was around 40 miles from the prison – near Borehamwood in Hertfordshire (pictured)

“But to almost cycle to London in two hours – that’s quite an effort, you have to admire his determination.”

The man was charged with escaping lawful detention and sentenced to an additional two months in prison.

A Justice Department spokesman said: “Escape is extremely rare and this individual was recaptured within hours.

“Prisoners who break the law will be punished – possibly with an additional prison sentence.”