A MAN who absconded from an Angus prison only a month and a half after he was transferred to the facility has been jailed for an extra 40 days.

James Reid Nimmo (27), who is currently serving an eight-and-a-half-year sentence for assault to severe injury, failed to return to Noranside open prison on November 26 after being let out on home leave.

Forfar Sheriff Court yesterday heard how Nimmo had been granted a seven-day licence on November 19.

But when police officers went to his agreed pick-up point in Edinburgh’s Regents Road a week later, he failed to appear. He was arrested four days later following a tip-off.

His defence agent said that two days before his expected return to Noranside, Nimmo had failed to appear on time for a social work appointment that had been set up as part of the conditions of his temporary release.

Nimmo did arrive for his appointment later that day, but by then the social worker was unavailable and had rung Noranside in his absence to say he had failed to appear on time.

“He realised the impact of that because if he had complied with his home licence the next home leave was planned for Christmas,” the agent added.

“He has an 11-year-old daughter and couldn’t bring himself to tell her that he wouldn’t be there for Christmas. It was against those circumstances that he made his error.”

Sheriff Kevin Veal sentenced Nimmo to 40 days in prison for absconding, to be served consecutively with his current sentence, which ends in June.