Wigan man jailed while absent from dock after fleeing court

However, after entering his guilty pleas the 23-year-old, of Rydal Avenue, Hindley, left the courtroom and did not return.

A warrant was issued for his arrest.

The court heard police saw a £15,000 Volvo V40 which had been reported stolen from Middleton in March on a street in Hindley on July 3.

Clossick was at the wheel and was arrested when police stopped it, having followed it onto Borsdane Avenue.

He admitted handling stolen goods, breaching driving licence regulations and not having insurance.

When taken to Wigan Police station officers also found cannabis on him and he refused to provide a sample. Having the illegal substance on him also put him in breach of a conditional discharge imposed by the courts last year.

Clossick admitted all the offences but could not be found when it was time to return to dock for sentence to be pronounced.

In his absence the bench decided the case was so serious that only an immediate custodial sentence could be justified.

Clossick was also banned from the road for 18 months and the bench ordered that he pay a £128 surcharge to fund victim services.