A 50-year-old man has been sentenced to 16 months after admitting a charge of evading lawful custody at Bristol Crown Court today (March 5).
Robert James Hennessey, formerly known as Simon Dominic Hennessey, was charged after being arrested at Heathrow Airport following deportation from Australia.
Hennessey absconded from HMP Leyhill in South Gloucestershire on November 20 1998, while serving a life sentence for the murder of his aunt Mary Webber in Plymouth in 1978.
Det Con Stuart Brooks said: “Robert Hennessey was arrested on suspicion of fraud offences in the Queensland area of Australia in 2013.
“Since then we’ve been working closely with the Australian authorities to ensure he was returned to the UK to serve the rest of his sentence and to face justice for the unlawful absconsion.
“With the assistance of Devon and Cornwall Police, the victim’s family have been kept updated on Hennessey’s deportation and subsequent court appearances in the UK.”
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