A YOUNG man who escaped custody to 'protect' an Ellesmere Port woman from her husband was told it was a "ridiculously stupid" thing to do.

Luke Kilgallon, 22, had been serving a six-year sentence for robbery at HMP Thorn Cross when he escaped on August 23.

Kilgallon admitted escaping custody when appearing at Chester Crown Court via videolink from HMP Altcourse on Wednesday, October 2 and had had four months added to his sentence.

Prosecuting, Jayne Morris said Kilgallon was found on September 3 at 1.20am in a house in Princes Road, Ellesmere Port.

A woman was also in the house and she and Kilgallon knew each other.

When Judge Steven Everett heard Kilgallon had gone there to protect her from her husband, he interrupted: "I'm sorry, but I can't think that's going to help him! It's not a mitigating factor."

Ms Morris added Kilgallon had told the woman he had been released early "for good behaviour".

Judge Everett told defence solicitor Huw Edwards: "Listen, what I'm going to do is impose a short consecutive sentence, of four months. Is there anything you can add?"

Mr Edwards replied: "I can't say anything else to mitigate."

Judge Everett told Kilgallon: "You were serving at Thorn Cross as an adult at the young offenders institute. You're not the first adult to escape from that particular detention place. Other adults found it a shock to be with young offenders.

"I don't know whether you really escaped in some ridiculously stupid premise of going to protect a woman from her partner. That is not what life should be. You don't live in a society where there is some sort of retribution; if there is a concern about domestic violence, that is what the police are for.

"If you found you could not cut it at Thorn Cross then that is a factor I will take into account.

"You were in custody so you went to 'do a runner'. You were always going to be caught fairly soon.

"It's going to affect you, your release date will be put back."