Fugitive Haroon Ahmed arrested in Notts after reports he was in Spain

A violent criminal from Derbyshire who escaped from prison last week has been arrested in the Nottingham area, days after he told the national press he was in Spain.

Haroon Ahmed, 26, who was serving a sentence for robbery, had been on the run since fleeing from HMP Dovegate in Staffordshire on Wednesday afternoon.

He told a Sunday newspaper that he had fled to Marbella on the Costa del Sol but but was arrested this morning (Monday, June 1) in the Nottingham area by members of Staffordshire Police.

Ahmed was alleged to have been tracked down by journalists at the Sunday Mirror, claiming they spoke to him and his solicitor.

Ahmed allegedly told the newspaper: “In my own mind I wanted to test out the security. I thought I’ll give it a go - and walked out of the door. That’s how easy it was. I just kept on walking.”

It is now unknown if the escaped criminal was lying to the paper or someone else was speaking for him.”

Staffordshire Police praised the public and media for their help in finding Ahmed.

Shares of its appeal on social media reached just under 300,000 over the five days he was away from custody.