In 2018, the Offender Database recorded that 36-year-old John Harris was jailed for over seven years after absconding from an open prison to attempt the kidnap of a schoolchild. Harris—originally from London—was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on Friday, 23 November 2018. It was reported that the investigation was launched following a “terrifying” security breach at a local school, occurring just hours after Harris had fled from HMP Leyhill in Gloucestershire.
The investigation established that on Tuesday, 16 October 2018, Harris trespassed onto school grounds, where he grabbed a child and threatened to take them. Bristol Crown Court heard that alert teachers managed to pull the child to safety and physically removed Harris from the building. The prosecution reported that as the school entered an emergency lockdown, Harris continued to prowl the perimeter, desperately trying to force open various windows and doors before police arrived to arrest him.
Judicial Findings and Investigative Detail
The court reported that Harris was already serving an Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentence for a similar attempted kidnap committed at a London hospital. Bristol Crown Court heard that Harris pleaded guilty to escaping lawful custody, kidnap, and breach of a sexual offences prevention order. The investigation established that Harris posed a significant and ongoing risk to children, having targeted vulnerable victims in high-trust environments like schools and medical facilities.
Judge-led proceedings resulted in Harris being handed a seven-and-a-half-year custodial term, with an additional four-year extended licence, bringing the total sentence to 11 years and six months. For his actions in the South West and London, he was returned to a secure, high-category prison to serve his sentence. The judge noted the bravery of the school staff who intervened, stating that Harris’s persistent attempts to re-enter the building during the lockdown demonstrated a “predatory determination” to carry out the kidnap.
Status and Statutory Requirements
For the records reported in the South West and London, the status of John Harris as of April 5, 2026, was as follows:
- Custodial Status: SERVING (IPP sentence remains active; latest term of 11.5 years began 2018).
- Sex Offenders Register: Notification requirements are active for life.
- Licence Status: Subject to a 4-year extended licence upon any potential future release.
- DBS Status: Placed on the Barring List (Indefinite ban on working with children).
- Legal Status: CONVICTED (Kidnap; Escaping lawful custody; Breach of SOPO; 3 counts total).
- Judicial Oversight: Sentenced at Bristol Crown Court; investigated by Avon and Somerset Police.
- Criminal Record: Attempted kidnap of a child at a school; Previous attempted kidnap at a London hospital; Absconding from HMP Leyhill.
- Origin: London; offences in Gloucestershire and Bristol.
Monitoring and Public Protection
Harris is managed as a maximum-risk individual within the secure prison estate and will remain a top priority for the Avon and Somerset and Metropolitan Police Public Protection Units. Due to the nature of his conduct—specifically his history of targeting children in “secure” locations and his ability to abscond from open conditions—his management is a critical priority. Authorities state that his IPP status reflects a judicial assessment that he remains a danger to the public, particularly minors.
As a registered sex offender for life, the (then) 36-year-old’s details are permanently logged on the national police database. Authorities state that any future consideration for release by the Parole Board will require a total ban on him entering any school or hospital grounds in the UK. Any failure to notify police of his movements, any attempt to approach a child, or any unauthorized proximity to educational settings will result in immediate recall to prison to ensure the ongoing safety of the public from his demonstrated pattern of predatory kidnap attempts.
QUESTION – Given that the offender was able to abscond from an “Open Prison” (HMP Leyhill) and immediately target a school, do you believe that “Open Prison Status” should be legally prohibited for any individual serving a sentence for offences involving the attempted kidnap of a child?
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