A criminal who calls himself the Milky Bar Kid is back in prison... after going on the run for less than 24 hours.

Hitman Adam Palmer, 24, was jailed three years ago after coming very close to killing his victim Lee Perfect.

The judge ordered him to be jailed indefinitely for wounding with intent and witness intimidation in 2008.

He ruled that Palmer - who had lived in Mary Road, Deal - should serve a minimum of three and a half years for his crimes before being considered for parole.

Earlier this year he was moved to Standford Hill open prison on Sheppey, prior to him being released.

Now Canterbury Crown Court heard how on October 7 he turned up for the first roll call, but disappeared before the second of four.

Police were alerted at 12.38pm and found him in woodland in Dover the following day where he was recaptured "although he wasn't very co-operative", prosecutor Donna East told the court.

Palmer, who admitted escaping lawful custody, was given another six-month jail sentence to run consecutively to his present sentence.

At his 2009 hearing, he was told he was a cruel coward who had come very close to killing his victim.

The court heard the background to the stabbing was a 16-year-old youth's jealousy, because he believed Mr Perfect had taken his girlfriend.

Palmer did not know Mr Perfect, but was contacted by the youth who claimed he had been beaten up by two older men in an unprovoked attack and wanted Palmer to go with him the next day to sort it out.

When Mr Perfect answered a knock at his front door at Milton Square, Margate, he saw a girl outside who walked away and two men - one being Palmer.

The victim had armed himself with a baseball bat, but was stabbed twice with a kitchen knife that had been passed to Palmer by the 16-year-old girl.

The girl and the youth, then 15, who were not be named for legal reasons, were from Margate and Broadstairs and were convicted after a trial of wounding with intent and the girl further convicted of having an offensive weapon.

Jailing Palmer, Judge Timothy Nash said the victim spent two months in hospital and the first month was "touch and go".

"I presided over the trial of those two stupid young people who befriended you and sought your help.

"You call yourself the Milky Bar Kid and others do as well and you hold yourself up as the big boy who can go round protecting others and taking revenge and that is quite unacceptable."

Palmer had convictions for theft, deception, criminal damage and assault.

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