Derbyshire prison absconder arrested in Germany and brought back to UK to serve sentence

A convicted drugs gang member has been arrested in Germany after absconding from a Derbyshire prison.

Dean Woods left HMP Sudbury, an open prison in the Derbyshire Dales, on Saturday 19 November 2022 on day release.

When he failed to return the alarm was raised by prison staff and officers from Derbyshire police began attempting to track him down and return him to custody.

Unbeknownst to them the 41-year-old had already left Liverpool on a ferry using a passport under the name of Simon Corner, having legally changed his name in prison without the knowledge of authorities.

After months of work – and securing an International Arrest Warrant which allowed him to be detained in any European country – he was finally arrested as he travelled from Dublin to Frankfurt Airport in Germany on 13 August before being sent back to the UK on Monday 4 September.

Woods has now been returned to a Category B prison to serve the remaining 10 years of his 12-year prison sentence.

No further charges were able to be brought against Woods due to the specific requirements of the arrest warrant. The UK offence of being unlawfully at large is not mirrored in Germany and he could not be returned to face charges on that specific offence.

Detective Chief Superintendent Gemma Booth said: “Dean Woods made a concerted effort to not only leave the UK in order to escape serving the jail time he had been given for very serious offences – but to also remain free through a variety of criminal means.

“I want to pay particular thanks to the determination of detectives from within our International Liaison Office who relentlessly pursued Woods.

“Despite his best efforts, I am pleased to report that this he is now safely detained.”