Marcus Steadman, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply crack cocaine, was sentenced to four years in prison.
Marcus Steadman, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply crack cocaine, was sentenced to four years in prison.
judge also ordered him to complete the remainder of the five-year sentence he was serving while in Sudbury and sentenced him to an additional 230 days.
West Derbyshire MP Patrick McLoughlin said people convicted of serious drugs offences should not be sent to open prisons.
He said: "This is a person who has obviously caused a lot of damage and I find it absurd that someone convicted of this type of crime can be considered for an open prison.
A spokeswoman for Sudbury Prison said Steadman would have been assessed for suitability for Category D (low security, open jail) conditions by a governor at the prison from which he was sent.
She said: "I am unable to give any further information as the computer records held are now unavailable."
Steadman had been convicted of possession with intent to supply drugs. After he walked out of his Sudbury sentence, he became involved in the drugs ring when he was recruited by a "Mr Big" in London. The ring was centred on Teesside.
Cleveland police could not yesterday give details of which prison Steadman, now of no fixed abode, was sent to when he began his five-year sentence, or when he was transferred to Sudbury.
The Derbyshire jail could also not immediately give those details.
Teesside Crown Court had heard that the drugs ring became known as the Donna Network, because addicts telephoning to get crack cocaine spoke to a woman who gave the false name Donna.
It is likely the group first targeted Middlesbrough in 2004. They hoped to establish the town as the regional hub from which to supply crack cocaine to the North East.
Police estimate that the Donna Network had a turnover of £1m a year from its Middlesbrough dealings. It is believed that the drug cash fuelled lavish lifestyles among the hierarchy and was also sent to Jamaica to invest in property.
Steadman was arrested by police in Teesside in April last year. The court was told he had been brought from London to run so-called safe houses in Middlesbrough.
He was jailed along with seven others involved in the drugs scam.
Detective Constable Kevin Harper, a police intelligence officer for Sudbury Prison, said it would be unlikely that Steadman would end up in an open jail again.
He said: "The majority of prisoners who abscond from the prison are recaptured very quickly. Those found to abusing the open prison conditions, such as Steadman, would be unlikely to be considered for those conditions again."
Sudbury had faced criticism because of its number of escapees. However, figures released exclusively to the Evening Telegraph recently revealed how the number of absconders had reduced by 75% since the introduction of a new policy which takes a harder line on those who try to flee.
Between January and June 2006, 48 inmates walked out of the prison, compared with 12 this year – a 75% reduction.
In 2006, 86 prisoners escaped but, by the end of 2007, this was reduced to 54.
Mr McLoughlin said: "I would say that Sudbury has improved dramatically in the rate of absconders, particularly since the introduction of a new system which means the consequences of absconding are more severe."
judge also ordered him to complete the remainder of the five-year sentence he was serving while in Sudbury and sentenced him to an additional 230 days.
West Derbyshire MP Patrick McLoughlin said people convicted of serious drugs offences should not be sent to open prisons.
He said: "This is a person who has obviously caused a lot of damage and I find it absurd that someone convicted of this type of crime can be considered for an open prison.
A spokeswoman for Sudbury Prison said Steadman would have been assessed for suitability for Category D (low security, open jail) conditions by a governor at the prison from which he was sent.
She said: "I am unable to give any further information as the computer records held are now unavailable."
Steadman had been convicted of possession with intent to supply drugs. After he walked out of his Sudbury sentence, he became involved in the drugs ring when he was recruited by a "Mr Big" in London. The ring was centred on Teesside.
Cleveland police could not yesterday give details of which prison Steadman, now of no fixed abode, was sent to when he began his five-year sentence, or when he was transferred to Sudbury.
The Derbyshire jail could also not immediately give those details.
Teesside Crown Court had heard that the drugs ring became known as the Donna Network, because addicts telephoning to get crack cocaine spoke to a woman who gave the false name Donna.
It is likely the group first targeted Middlesbrough in 2004. They hoped to establish the town as the regional hub from which to supply crack cocaine to the North East.
Police estimate that the Donna Network had a turnover of £1m a year from its Middlesbrough dealings. It is believed that the drug cash fuelled lavish lifestyles among the hierarchy and was also sent to Jamaica to invest in property.
Steadman was arrested by police in Teesside in April last year. The court was told he had been brought from London to run so-called safe houses in Middlesbrough.
He was jailed along with seven others involved in the drugs scam.
Detective Constable Kevin Harper, a police intelligence officer for Sudbury Prison, said it would be unlikely that Steadman would end up in an open jail again.
He said: "The majority of prisoners who abscond from the prison are recaptured very quickly. Those found to abusing the open prison conditions, such as Steadman, would be unlikely to be considered for those conditions again."
Sudbury had faced criticism because of its number of escapees. However, figures released exclusively to the Evening Telegraph recently revealed how the number of absconders had reduced by 75% since the introduction of a new policy which takes a harder line on those who try to flee.
Between January and June 2006, 48 inmates walked out of the prison, compared with 12 this year – a 75% reduction.
In 2006, 86 prisoners escaped but, by the end of 2007, this was reduced to 54.
Mr McLoughlin said: "I would say that Sudbury has improved dramatically in the rate of absconders, particularly since the introduction of a new system which means the consequences of absconding are more severe."
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