AN ESCAPED prisoner led police on an 80mph chase round the streets of Ipswich.Magistrates heard Lee Savage dumped the stolen car he was driving and ran off, but was rugby tackled to the ground and arrested.

AN ESCAPED prisoner led police on an 80mph chase round the streets of Ipswich.

Magistrates heard Lee Savage dumped the stolen car he was driving and ran off, but was rugby tackled to the ground and arrested.

Savage, of no fixed abode, walked out of Hollesley Bay Prison on June 19, but was nabbed just over 12 hours later.

Now he faces an extra six months in jail on top of the five weeks left on his current sentence.

The 28-year-old admitted dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, driving without a licence, driving a vehicle taken without the consent of the owner and resisting a police officer.

John Hardwick, prosecuting, told South East Suffolk Magistrates Court Savage was spotted driving a silver Montego along London Road at about 9.40am on June 20.

Recognising him as en escaped prisoner, a passing police patrol turned on its siren and approached the car.

But instead of stopping, Savage sped off up the road at speeds of up to 80mph.

Mr Hardwick said the fugitive over and undertook recklessly all the way to Pinewood roundabout, before heading back into town.

He eventually pulled to a halt in the Holiday Inn car par and tried to escape on foot.

Mr Hardwick said Savage's flight was short-lived – a Pc chased after him and tackled him to the ground.

Ian Fisher, mitigating, said Savage had become very depressed in prison when a number of visitors he was expecting failed to turn up.

Mr Fisher stressed Hollesley Bay's status as an open prison meant inmates could just walk out of the gates without any dramatic escape scheme. Savage is the fourth person to abscond from the prison since May.

He said: "Mr Savage has a long an undignified record of offending due to a very long-standing and deep-rooted drug dependency."

But he said Savage was now drug-free and hopeful of a new start when he is released from jail.

Savage was sentenced to six months for dangerous driving and 30 days each for taking without consent and resisting arrest.

Magistrates ordered all sentences to be served concurrently, but consecutively to Savage's current term.