Prison escapes Doncaster: Inmate on run for a year and three prisoners 'released in error'

South Yorkshire Police have been looking for an on-the-run prisoner for nearly a year.

And official figures show that four people went on the run from South Yorkshire's prisons for a period of over a month last year, and that three more were released by mistake from one of the county's highest security jails.

The news comes after the high profile prison escape of former soldier Daniel Khalife from Wandsworth Prison in London sparked a high profile search.

South Yorkshire Police's 'wanted' list shows they are currently trying to locate prison absconder, Nasir Ali, who was released on temporary licence from Hatfield prison in Doncaster last October.

Ali breached his licence requirements and failed to return to his approved premises on October 19, and has since failed to return to HMP Hatfield.

The 42-year-old was serving an indeterminate sentence after being convicted of conspiracy to murder and firearms offences in 2009.

The police say in an appeal they issued, and which still remains open on their 'wanted' list: "If you see him, please do not approach but instead call 999 immediately. If you have information about his whereabouts, please contact us via 101, live chat or our online portal. The incident number to quote is 909 of 20 October."

Figures for escape and prisoners absconding are revealed in official Ministry of Justice figures, which list escapes from jails going back to the 1990s.

They include figures for incidents which happened last year.

Among the figures published by the MoJ are the number of escapes, absconds and failures to return still at large after 30 days. For Hatfield Open prison, near Doncaster, the number last year was three absconding, and one failing to return from temporary release.

The figures for last year also show that at HMP Doncaster, the figure for releases in error for 2022 was three.

And the figure for temporary release failures at Hatfield Open for 2022 was 67

But they show no full-on prisoner escapes at the county's jails since 2004. One escape was listed at HMP Doncaster in 2002, and three at HMP Lindholme, in 1996, 1999 and 2004.

A Prison Service spokesperson said: “The latest figures show a decrease in the number of absconds at HMP Hatfield, but any offender who breaks the rules faces being returned to tougher conditions and extra time in jail.”

They added latest figures, for 2023, showed a reduction in the number of releases in error at HMP Doncaster in the latest year, and those relating to HMP Hatfield also show a reduction in the number of temporary release failures and absconds.

They said releases in error were incredibly rare because of the strict processes in place.

An abscond does not involve overcoming a physical security restraint such as that provided by a wall or fence, locks, bolts or bars, a secure vehicle, handcuffs or the direct supervision of staff.