WORRIED about his pregnant partner, a prisoner walked out of an open prison to visit her.

But four days later Richard Humphries surrendered himself to police.

Now he has been jailed for an additional seven days at Canterbury Crown Court.

Humphries, 23, of High Street, Margate, had been jailed for 15 months for battering two shop workers with a stolen bottle of wine as they tried to stop him leaving Somerfield in Margate.

Stamford Hill is a category D open prison on Sheppey. Humphries was present for the 8am role call on February 9 but missing for the 1pm call.

He later said that he had been anxious when his pregnant partner told him of problems with her pregnancy. She failed to turn up for the next visit and he walked out of the prison.

Katie Fox, for Humphries, said that he understood the seriousness of the offence but that, in view of the circumstances, the offence was at the bottom of the scale. She said: "He had received a letter telling him of her pregnancy problems and he told her to go to the doctor.

"When he didn’t see her at the next visit, he feared the worse and simply panicked. To his credit he handed himself in."

She added that Humphries was due for release on home detention with curfew and was anxious that that was not affected.

Sentencing Humphries, Judge Anthony Webb said he had carefully read a letter written by the defendant and accepted that Humphries walked out for pressing reasons. He added that it was to his credit he had surrendered himself and accepted responsibility for what he did.

The judge said that usually sentences for such offences were imposed consecutively but with regard to Humphries’ progress in prison and what he said in his letter, Judge Webb said that he was prepared to take an exceptional course.

The seven-day sentence was imposed concurrently to the term he was already serving.