Convicted murderer used pumpkin and boiler suit to trick prison staff at North Sea Camp near Boston into thinking he was asleep so he could escape

A convicted murderer absconded from an open jail after using a pumpkin and a boiler suit stuffed with clothes to fool prison staff that he was asleep.

Aaron Wood, 54, spent two days on the run and was caught with a knife after escaping from North Sea Camp, near Boston, on the evening of September 22.

Wood was eventually reported missing by his cell mate just before 8am on September 23 but by that time he had made his way to Skegness where he claimed to be doing a recce for a charity walk.

Lincoln Crown Court heard Wood was actually serving a life sentence passed for murder at Worcester Crown Court in 1998, and had a host of other convictions for more than 100 offences.

Wood was eventually located nearly 50 miles from the prison in the village of South Somercotes at around 6pm on 24 September.

Police were alerted after a call from a family in Skegness who had let him stay overnight in their caravan on September 23.

Wood, who has a distinctive scar on his forehead and a tattoo with the words AC/DC on his right forearm, remained completely silent when he was handcuffed. A knife stolen from the caravan was found among his possessions.

Phil Howes, prosecuting, told the court Wood had been moved to North Sea Camp in August.

Mr Howes said: "It is an open establishment, there are no boundaries, no borders. Inmates are trusted not to leave, but leave he did."

The court heard Wood was reported missing by his cell mate shortly after 7.30am on September 23.

"Wood hid his disappearance by stuffing a boiler suit full of clothing and using a pumpkin as a head," Mr Howes explained.

"This was enough to fool a check at 1.15am when a member of prison staff looked through the cell window."

Wood was spotted by members of the public in the Skegness area on September 23 and assured them that he was on a recce for a charity walk.

Following his arrest in South Somercotes, Wood admitted taking the knife from the caravan where he was allowed to stay so he could cut up his food.

Wood pleaded guilty to escaping from custody on 22 September and possessing a bladed article on 24 September.

The court heard Wood had 29 previous convictions for 110 offences over a 17 year period.

They included two previous escapes, nine house burglaries, three bladed weapon offences, grievous bodily harm and assault causing actual bodily harm.

The court heard Wood was sentenced to a minimum term of 16 years imprisonment when he received a life sentence at Worcester Crown Court in November 1998 for the murder of a 40-year-old woman.

During his police interview Wood admitted making the "crow man" to fool prison staff and said he was walking to Whitby where he believed his mother had last been living.

Michael Cranmer-Brown, mitigating, said Wood had severe mental health anxieties at the time of his escape and had become frustrated after spending over a decade in prison longer than his minimum term sentence.

"He thought he was never going to get out," Mr Cranmer-Brown explained.

Mr Cranmer-Brown said Wood met members of the public during his journey along the Lincolnshire coast but offered no threat and falsely claimed he was on a charity walk.

The court heard Wood has now been returned to stricter prison conditions and faces a wait of at least 20 months before he can go before a Parole Board.

Judge Simon Hirst told Wood he had to pass a sentence of eight months imprisonment on him for the two offences.

But Judge Hirst said the reality was that under the terms of his life sentence Wood would never be released from custody until he satisfied a Parole Board.

"An escape and having a knife will not impress them," Judge Hirst added.