BREAKING: Convicted kidnapper on the run after escaping open prison in West Sussex, deemed a “risk to the public”

Police are searching for Ola Abimbola, a 36-year-old convicted kidnapper, who has been on the run for several weeks after absconding from HMP Ford, an open prison in West Sussex.

Abimbola was serving a 21-year sentence for kidnap, grievous bodily harm, and possession of an offensive weapon when he disappeared from the Category D facility — where prisoners are considered low risk and can spend parts of the day working or studying outside prison grounds.

Sussex Police have urged anyone who sees him not to approach him but to call 999 immediately.His escape comes amid reports of a sharp rise in absconders from open prisons across England. Mark Drury, from the Prison Governors’ Association, said the trend was putting pressure on prison staff and “placing the wider public at risk.”

Abimbola is one of several fugitives in recent weeks. Other prisoners who have absconded include Tesfa Clarke, 47, serving time for violent robberies at HMP Sudbury in Derbyshire, and Patrick Gavin, jailed for a stabbing in Northamptonshire in 2020.Police continue to appeal for information on Abimbola’s whereabouts.