A prisoner from Co Kildare who was unlawfully at large from Magilligan Prison in Co Derry for 16 months, appeared in court in Derry yesterday after he was "voluntarily extradited" from his home earlier this week.
Raymond Smullen, (35), from Rodside, Lullymore, Rathangan, pleaded guilty at the Crown Court to a charge of being unlawfully at large from Magilligan Prison from February 24th, 2006 to May 26th, 2007.
He is to be sentenced for the offence on January 23rd.
The court was told that the defendant, who was remanded in custody for sentencing, had a due release date of April 27th, 2008. He was in the sixth year of a seven-year sentence imposed in July 2003 for wounding a man with intent when he committed the offence.