Greggs in Mercers Row has undergone a 'major refurbishment', according to the bakery giant.

The remodelling of the shop has been refurbished to offer 'customers a contemporary food-on-the-go experience'.

Claire Acott, shop manager at Greggs Northampton said: “We couldn’t wait to open our doors and welcome our customers back to Greggs.”

The Mercers Row branch has all the usual Greggs treats you'd imagine as well as the new Christmas Range which includes the Pigs Under Blanket Baguette and the Christmas Lunch Soup.

The popular Mint Hot Chocolate is also making a return following the successful launch last year.

As well as breakfast, the shop also has a self-select hot range for 'on the go' food, including fresh porridge, Southern fried chicken goujons and potato wedges.

Roisin Currie, retail director for Greggs, said: “We’re delighted to be able to invest in Northampton by providing our customers with a modern and convenient new-look shop.”

Shop opening times are 6am – 6pm Monday to Saturday and 8:30am – 4:30pm on Sunday.

Fancy skipping the cooking and ordering in?

These 10 delivery restaurants in Northampton come highly recommended, and range from Indian feasts to Chinese and Caribbean delights - there’s something for all tastes.

‘Inherent tensions’ between the roles of Northamptonshire’s government appointed commissioners is why Children’s Commissioner Malcolm Newsam resigned.

A Freedom of Information request by the Local Democracy Reporting Service has revealed a letter sent to CommissionersTony McArdle and Brian Roberts from Mr Newsam in which he explained his reasons for standing down from the job in September.
Copied to the portfolio holder for children’s services Cllr Fiona Baker the letter on September 23 says: “Thank you for your letter of 19th September. I’m grateful for the clarity in which you set your your position. This does highlight the inherent tension with our respective directions we we have all struggled to resolve. Under these circumstances I do not believe there is anything further I can contribute to improvements in children’s services required by Ministers.”

Commissioners McArdle and Roberts were sent into the council by Government in May last year after the financial collapse of the authority which had been failing to spend within budgets for years and had exhausted reserves. Their job is to get the council’s finances back on track and to improve service levels.

Mr Newsam, who has a track record of making improvements in failing children’s services across the country, had been appointed by central government in November last year to turn around Northants chilldren’s services in the wake of a damning Ofsted visit which found a series of problems including manageable caseloads and not enough experienced social workers.

In his first report in March this year Mr Newsam said he had found ‘chaos’ in the multi-agency-safeguarding hub (MASH) which is the first point of call for people or agencies who have concerns about a child’s welfare. He also said there was a ‘prevalent culture of complacency within the management of the service underpinned by a lack of accountability or consequence for poor performance’. He concluded there was a long way to go before the basics of professional standards of social work were in place.

The department – which this summer was the focus of two Serious Case Reviews into the murders of two young children in December 2017 and April 2018 – was trying to turn around its services at the same time as making large financial savings. This financial year £10m of savings was planned for the department, which has an overall budget of £116m. Currently the authority is predicting £7m of those savings will not be made – largely due to the high cost of agency staff and out-of-county residential costs for some of its looked-after children.

Mr Newsam had faced criticism from some councillors for not attending public meetings and just before he resigned the shadow member for children’s services Cllr Jane Birch had put forward a motion calling on the commissioner to give the council a programme to address a number of concerns including early help and prevention services.

Following his resignation the director of children’s services Sally Hodges also stood down along with her deputy Jean Imray. Last month it was also revealed that the number of children in need who have not been allocated a social worker had risen again to more than 230.

Mr Newsam was replaced by Andrew Christie last month, who is also joined by support commissioner Clare Chamberlain.

Mr Christie has not as yet made any public statements about what he intends to do in the role, although he will be overseeing the government directed transition of Northamptonshire children’s services to an independent trust by July 2020.

The Northamptonshire father was described at Northampton Crown Court today (November 18) as someone who presented as an upstanding man.

But, in His Honour Judge Rupert Mayo's words, the man lived with "a very ugly and very dark secret".

Only after his two teenage daughters made disclosures to the police did it emerge that he had sexually abused both girls over the course of three years.

As well as the attacks on both daughters - neither of whom was sure the other was being abused while they lived together - the Northamptonshire father rigged camera systems in the family bathroom to record them while they showered.

But the abuse was unveiled after one of the girls alerted the police to what was happening.

And, at court today, one of the victims bravely stood to tell her father how his offending had hurt her, her sister and their family before he was jailed.

She said: "I believed my father was a good man - hardworking, rational and wise... But he chose to exploit that position of trust.

"It became routine of me to hide my sadness or vulnerability so he could not take advantage of it.

"I still love my dad. It's hard not to love someone who has provided for you your whole life. But there is now a void in my heart where he should be. Three years of making what should have been happy family memories have been overshadowed."

The father later pleaded guilty to the abuse and was jailed at Northampton Crown Court today.

Judge Mayo told him in sentencing: "The impact of what you did will last forever.

"I cannot put what you did into words better than these two brave children, who alerted authorities and indicated the damage you have done to them, and put it so eloquently into words today.

"In an ironic way, you should be proud of them.

"You put your own sexual desires first and robbed them of their childhood."

The man was jailed for six years and three months, and was handed a restraining order that will ban him from contacting his daughters indefinitely.

It means the Cobblers will play two games in the space of just over 48 hours with their FA Cup tie against Notts County scheduled for 2pm the Sunday before.

They also have a trip to Exeter City in the league the following Saturday, making for a busy six days for Keith Curle's side.

Portsmouth, who are the EFL Trophy holders having beaten Sunderland in the final last season, will host the tie at Fratton Park after topping Southern Group B.

Ticket prices have been reduced to £10 for adults, £5 for concessions (senior 65+, young person 18-22, wheelchair and ambulant) and £2 those 17 and under.

The club will confirm when ticket sales will begin in due course.

Reece Reed did, however, receive an additional six months in prison for carrying the knife he carried out the attack with.

It means the 19-year-old was jailed yesterday (November 18) for a total of eight months after the disturbing attack at a Wellingborough farm, in which he prowled around the grounds with a kitchen knife.

In his sentencing at Northampton Crown Court, His Honor Judge Michael Fowler expressed his distaste at how the law meant he could only hand Reed a two-month sentence for the mutilations.

The grotesque incident began on a morning in April 2018 when the farm owner in Wellingborough was alerted by a burglar alarm at 7.30am.

Prosecutor Priya Bakshi told the court: "He ran to the summer house to investigate. There he found a shovel, and saw one window had been pried open and another had been smashed.

"He peered through the window. There, he saw a man with a six-inch kitchen knife inside the chicken coop."

The farmer scared off the armed man - Reed - before searching his stables to see if any animals had been hurt.

It was then that he found his daughter's prize-winning miniature show horse Sol. His back legs and rear had been stabbed 20 times and he was bleeding heavily.

Additionally, Reed had cut the wings off of three chickens. They had to be put down.

In court, the judge heard how Sol was a prize winner worth over £3,000 and was on track to becoming a champion show horse.

But following the attack, Sol was rendered unfit to compete ever again.

In a victim impact statement read out in court, Sol's owner said: After I learned that Sol had been hurt I was devastated and heartbroken.

"Sol was and is my best friend and he will always be part of the family."

Reed - who was unclothed from the waist down when he was first spotted in the chicken coop- later pleaded guilty to the offence. His defence barrister, Osmun Munir, said the 19-year-old was "remorseful and expresses sympathy for the family".

But in sentencing, Judge Fowler was unable to jail Reed for more than two months over the mutilations - because the attacks were charged as "criminal damage" rather than, for example, animal cruelty.

He told Reed: "This episode can only be described as wholly despicable. The charges that you face today do not reflect the wickedness of your behaviour.

"This has been treated as if it were criminal damage against two inanimate objects. It isn't. And it is in my view and error that ought to be corrected."

As a result, Reed was handed a two-month sentence for the mutilations and six months for carrying the knife, which he will serve in a young offenders' institute.

It comes after how, in December last year, the infamous Northampton Cat Killer - who dismembered more than half-a-dozen family pets across the town in a three-month spree - could only be jailed for three months in respect of those mutilations.

NGH's charity is dedicating lights on their Christmas tree this year to remember loved ones that cannot be with us for this festive period.

Northamptonshire Health Charity - which aims to enhance patient experience beyond what the NHS can fund - say this celebration will provide a chance to reflect and remember people who are no longer with us.

The tree lighting ceremony will take place at the Billing Road entrance of Northampton General Hospital, on Thursday, December 5 at 6pm.

The family-friendly event is free to attend and the NGH choir will be performing while mince pies and a warm drink will be served to everyone.

Lights are £5 each or 3 for £10 and all proceeds will go towards the charity's Christmas Gifts for Patients appeal, which supports patients at Northampton General Hospital as well as the community hospitals across the county.

This year, they are reaching out to Chronicle & Echo readers, and beyond, to make sure that every patient in their hospitals each receive a present on December 25.

There are many patients, mostly elderly, that have nobody and are often forgotten about, which means they have no visitors and no gift on Christmas day.

If you want to make a patient smile this Christmas, the charity behind the gift appeal is asking for present buyers to purchase puzzle books, slippers and socks, toiletries, lip balms, dominos. And, for the children's wards and short breaks centres toys, games and activities are needed.

If you can’t make the ceremony you are welcome to still dedicate a light to a loved one. Anyone can sponsor a light on the tree, either in memory or as a gift for loved ones by emailing greenheart@nhcf.co.uk or calling the fundraising team on 01604 626927.

Northampton-based Simpson Catering bought nine Buddies USA restaurants in November 2018, seven within the county and two outside of Northamptonshire.

A 'catalogue of problems' surfaced shortly after the takeover, and have continued to appear over the past 11 months, giving the new owners no alternative but to close four of those restaurants, including – just last month – the ones in Daventry and Acre Lane, Northampton.

The Acre Lane closure, in Kingsthorpe, came about four months after it launched its cocktail bar following a refit of the premises.

At one point, the future of all the restaurants was in doubt, but with the help of Northampton business recovery specialists PBC, the owners say they have now turned things around, avoided closing the five remaining restaurants, and in doing so, bosses have saved 68 jobs.

“Having to close those four restaurants meant we lost 16 valued members of staff, which was obviously very regrettable,” said company spokeswoman Louise Robinson, who set up Simpson Catering 28 years ago.

“We take our responsibilities to employees very seriously, and did our best to minimise the impact on the 21 members of staff affected by closing four restaurants - they were all offered alternative employment in our remaining restaurants, which five accepted, and 16 chose to move on.

“The problem’s first surfaced shortly after taking over,” said Mrs Robinson. “We were confronted with issues we had no idea existed when we bought the company, despite all the due diligence work carried out before completing our purchase.

“What it then meant was that we had to let our heads rule our hearts and make some tough and very difficult decisions in the interests of saving the company - which we were passionate about doing.

“We have worked extremely hard to turn around the fortunes, and in doing so we now have five restaurants we’re very proud of - and we can look ahead to the future with confidence.”

The restaurants' launch of a 'build-a-burger' menu in December 2018 - in place of the longstanding 50-choice Hamburger Heaven menu selection - proved somewhat controversial to Buddies diehards.

Northampton folk took to social media in their droves to lament the loss of the nostalgic selection. After public outcry, a 'version two' of the menu was introduced at all Buddies USA branches by February 3.

Buddies USA has been a fixture around Northamptonshire since the first restaurant opened in 1981, and has established itself as a popular brand around the county over the past 38 years.

“We thoroughly appreciate the loyalty of our customers over many years, and over the last 11 months since we bought the company,” added Mrs Robinson. “We want to continue building on the popularity the Buddies USA brand has achieved, and give people a restaurant where good food is guaranteed, the service is excellent, and our visitors have an all-round enjoyable experience of dining with us.”

Buddies USA’s five remaining restaurants are in Northampton town centre (Dychurch Lane), Grange Park, Sixfields, Rushden and Old Stratford.

Noah Esajabor, 18, was spotted brandishing a large hunting knife in Auctioneers Court in June this year just seconds before he stabbed his teenage victim in the leg.

Neighbours later told police how the two young men were arguing over a bag in the moments before the savage attack.

The 19-year-old victim in the case - who suffered a severe wound to his leg - later refused to give evidence or explain the incident to the police, meaning the true nature of the argument is still unknown.

However, at Northampton Crown Court yesterday (November 18), the judge also heard how Esajabor stabbed another man just eight months before in an argument at a fast-food restaurant.

The incident broke out when Esajabor - who was just 17 at the time - left a Northampton fast-food chain without clearing away their wrappers and food.

A customer took exception to the messiness before confronting the group, throwing a drink at them and spitting on Esajabor.

The then-17-year-old responded by pulling out a knife and stabbing the customer in the stomach before walking back to join his friends.

The customer collapsed to the floor and had to receive trauma surgery at University Hospital Coventry.

The 17-year-old attacker was arrested the next day for the stabbing - but was later released under investigation and seemingly could not be charged at the time.

At court, His Honour Judge Michael Fowler told Esajabor: "On two occasions you used a knife deliberately to stab individuals with whom you had a confrontation.

"Having a drink thrown on you and spat on is a provocation. But it's nowhere near justification to stab him in the stomach.

"I am told that you have learned your lesson and that you're remorseful and that you seek rehabilitation. But then the reports I read about you do not indicate that."

Esajabor was jailed for six years and will serve his sentence in a young offenders institute.

Saints boss Chris Boyd says Dan Biggar is 'the best in the world at what he does'.

Biggar produced a man of the match performance on Sunday as he steered Saints to a 25-14 Champions Cup win against Lyon at Franklin's Gardens.

It was a first club appearance of the season for the Wales star, who had helped his country to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup in Japan.

And Boyd was delighted to have Biggar back in action in such a key game for Saints.

“Dan will always do that for you - he is the best in the world at what he does,” Boyd said.

“It was particularly pleasing that Dan and the other World Cup returnees fitted in so well.

“We’ve benefited from Cobus Reinach being away with South Africa and practicing his box-kicks throughout.

“He came back and I thought the accuracy of his kick and Dan’s chase was a key part of the game.

“If I include the two Kiwi boys (Owen Franks and Matt Proctor), who weren’t released out of New Zealand until after the World Cup, we had nine (back at the weekend).

“They are all good men who want to play for the club, and they realise that as senior players and leaders their contributions are really important.”

Notts County manager Neal Ardley has vowed not to go on the defensive when his side visit Northampton in the second-round of the FA Cup next weekend.

The Magpies slipped to ninth in the National League after losing 3-0 at home to new leaders Barrow on Saturday.

But, speaking after the second-round draw was made last week, Ardley says he will aim for victory when his side visit the PTS Academy Stadium on December 1.

“We are going to a team in the level above and they should have bigger and better players,” he said. “Northampton will challenge us in general play and from set-pieces.

“But we’ve got some big players ourselves if we can keep them fit going into that tie. Whether we have six big ones to cope with their big six ones, is a different kettle of fish.

“It’s going to be a real challenge. But it’s only down the road and we will take a fantastic following. We are not afraid to lose. Last season we were because of the situation we were in.

“We won’t go on the defensive, we have a way of how we play and that won’t change be it .”

Ardley believes the tie will provide a good barometer to measure his side's progress this season but, in what is becoming a theme this season, he also warned of Northampton's physical presence.

He added: “I would have liked a home tie especially with the way we have been playing at Meadow Lane.

“I did want a League Two team because I feel it will give us a good look at where we are.

“Keith Curle has done well there. They had a slow start, but they have picked up and are on the verge of the play-offs.

“They are in good form and the one thing that they are, aside from the fact they have good players, is they are very big.

“They have two 6ft 3in centre-forwards, centre-backs and a 6ft 2in central midfielder.

“They will test us at set-pieces, they will get balls into the box and if we don’t stand up to that we will struggle in the game.”

Jolley, who had been in charge for 18 months, departed after the club's directors were presented with audio from a row with BBC Radio Humberside in the wake of Grimsby's 4-0 defeat by Leyton Orient last month.

The Mariners, 18th in Sky Bet League Two, have also been in poor form on the pitch and are currently seven games without a win. They visit Newport County in an FA Cup replay on Wednesday before heading to the PTS this weekend.

Fenty described himself as 'shocked and stunned' by the language Jolley used when he swore 58 times in four minutes during the row with a BBC journalist.

"We're really disappointed with the whole affair, Michael knows that," Fenty told the club website this week.

"Michael came to me on Wednesday and his view was that he knew where this was going, and he sought an opportunity for a compromise arrangement, which resulted in leaving on mutual grounds and gave him some certainty of receipt in terms of parting company.

"Clearly he wasn't sacked. On a personal level, I'm concerned and disappointed there was mention to the budget and a suggestion goading the press to say they should have said something about the budget in the past. I find that a strange comment.

"However in the light of things, when things aren't going well on the field, it is a pressure cooker and we do tend to give allowance for some of these things that erupt over. But on the scale of eruption, it's clear that the club had to go through a disciplinary process.

"I'm not suggesting for a minute that it would have concluded in gross misconduct and therefore dismissal, there can be a whole range of outcomes to that, but Michael assumed it could only go in one direction and sought mutual settlement, which we arrived at."

And the County head coach believes the revamped One Day Cup competition will be still be a strong and worthwhile one, despite it being forced to play second fiddle to The Hundred, which is launched next summer.

It is Ripley's involvement as assistant coach to Shane Warne at the London Spirit Hundred franchise that means he will be taking a break from his role at Northants for four weeks at the end of July and beginning of August, but he believes that will be a great chance for the club's yet-to-be-appointed assistant coach to show what he can do.

Whoever is handed that role will be in charge of the Steelbacks for the 50-over competition, along with white ball skipper Josh Cobb - but Ripley says he will still be 'living and breathing all the results'.

One of the big criticisms of the ECB forcing through their new 100-ball competition has been the supposed downgrading of the 50-over competition, especially in the wake of England's stunning Cricket World Cup win last summer.

The final has been switched from its traditional home of Lord's to Trent Bridge, and it was initially announced mooted that the 50-over competition would be a 'development tournament'.

But Ripley says he never believed that was going to be the case, and even teams who have several players involved in The Hundred will have the financial capability of ensuring they are competitive in the 50-over game as well.

As it stands, the Steelbacks only have one player involved in The Hundred in Adam Rossington.

Others could yet receive one of the eight wildcard spots up for grabs on the conclusion of the Vitality T20 Blast group stages, but it seems likely that Northants will be close to full strength, and Ripley knows it is a chance for the club to challenge for the silverware.

"We are going to be strong, there is going to be some tough selections to make, and it is going to be an opportunity for the other coaches (who come in) as well," said the County head coach, who revealed last week he is hoping to announce his new assistant and a skills coach in the coming weeks.

"I am not going to be messing around with it, I am going to be gone, and it is going to be an opportunity for the other guys to run the competition, along with Josh as the captain.

"I will still be living and breathing all the results, wondering what team they are going to pick, and I am sure they might have to tell me to shut up here and there, as it will be difficult to switch off that's for sure."

On the merits of the 50-over tournament, and the criticism that it is being completely sidelined by the ECB as they seem to be throwing everything into The Hundred, Ripley said: "At one point I heard people calling it a development competition, but that was never going happen.

"There will be players missing, but that sometimes happens when England are playing anyway, or you have injuries, and you still want to win the competition.

"It will be difficult for some teams because they have lost so many, but they will be compensated for that.

"They will get 12 per cent of their salaries back, and it is then up to the counties to decide what they do with that.

"It might work out that they invest it in some minor counties cricketers, and I am sure they will have an overseas player as well.

"At one point I thought overseas players were going to banned, but again that is not the case, so let's get the competition as strong as we can.

"There will also be chances for young players at some of those counties, but with us at the moment having one player missing we will be strong."

The domestic 2020 fixture calendar has yet to be confirmed by the ECB, but the One Day Cup Final date has been finalised for Saturday, September 19 at Trent Bridge.

Police are appealing for the public’s help to find a Northampton man wanted for breaching his bail conditions.

Christopher Hulland, 27, of Northampton, was bailed by the court but has since breached the associated conditions and is now wanted by police.

Anyone with any information as to his whereabouts is asked to contact Northamptonshire Police on 101.

Alternatively, they can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

The 26-year-old, who's into his third spell at the Cobblers, sustained the injury when he took a heavy tumble during an EFL Trophy tie with Peterborough United at the start of September.

He's been steadily building up his fitness since returning to light training two weeks ago and could well be back in time for a busy run of fixtures, with the Cobblers set to play four games across three competitions in 13 days.

"With Ryan we're just waiting for confirmation and for the all-clear that he can get game-time," said manager Keith Curle.

"Obviously he's been out on the grass and he's been training for a couple of weeks but that's been with caution.

"But it'll be good once he's fit again and fully involved and fully back in the action."

Fellow midfielder Shaun McWilliams faces a longer wait though as he recovers from an appendix operation.

"Shaun's still got a period of time out," added Curle. "He was going to be out for six weeks so you're probably still looking at another three or four weeks for Shaun.

"But he's doing everything he can do to get himself ready for when he's able to participate in training again."

A thug pushed over a woman in Northampton before purposely banging her head against the pavement.

The incident took place between 3pm and 3.30pm on Thursday (November 14), Northamptonshire Police today said.

A woman was walking in Military Road, Upper Mounts, when she was assaulted by a man who pushed her to the floor and banged her head against it.

She pushed him off her and got up before the man grabbed her and pushed her up against a car.

He released her from his grip when he realised people were watching.

Officers would like to hear from anyone who was present and saw the assault, or anyone who has information about it.

Call Northamptonshire Police on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

The hospital has said that they are considering transfering patients to other hospitals to have their non-urgent operations done, or they might extend the waiting times for non-urgent operations as ever-growing demand on the NHS increases.

However, medics will continue to do routine surgery at NGH but will be prioritising day case surgery, where patients do not requite a hospital admission, as well as cancer, urgent and emergency surgery.

Once their plans have been agreed with the hospital commissioners and other healthcase providers - then the hospital will contact their patients and GPs who may be affected by any changes.

A spokeswoman for NGH said: “We have seen exceptional demand and pressure on our services throughout 2019.

"Patient safety remains our priority, as well as ensuring those who urgently need our care or in an emergency can access the treatment they need without delay.

"For this reason we are working with our commissioners and other healthcare providers to review a range of options to help us plan for the winter and ensure we have the capacity we need within the hospital."

It comes as on October 14, 449 patients attended A&E this year, which was one of the busiest days the hospital has seen in 2019.

When compared to the same day, the year before, medics treated 142 people less.

On average 420 patients are recieving treatment from the A&E department each day.

READ MORE: Northampton General Hospital rating drops from 'good' to 'requires improvement' amid reports of 'bullying culture'

Northampton swimmer Maisie Summers-Newton is celebrating after being nominated for the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year award for 2019.

The 17-year-old Northampton Swimming Club member is one of 10 nominees for the prestigious award, having won three medals at the World Para-swimming Championships at the London Aquatics Centre in September.

The teenager set a new world record in the Women’s SM6 200m individual medley, touching home in 2:57.24 to shave 0.75 seconds off her existing world record she set in Glasgow earlier in the year.

Reflecting on her gold medal at the World Para-swimming Championships at the recent British Swimming Awards, Summers-Newton told swimming.org: “That night was just amazing. The experience of racing in front of a home crowd as well was just brilliant.”

It is the second year in a row that Summers-Newton, also won a silver in the 100m breaststroke and a bronze in the 100m freestyle at the World Para-swimming Championships, has been shortlisted for the BBC award.

The winner of the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year award will be revealed at the Radio 1 Teen Awards at the BBC Television Centre in London on Sunday, November 24.

All 10 nominees will also be invited to attend the BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony which will be held in Aberdeen on Sunday, December 15.

BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year 2019 shortlist: Charlie Aldridge (cycling); Caitlin Beevers (rugby league); Sky Brown (skateboarding); Caroline Dubois (boxing); Josh Hill (golf); Bethany Paull (artistic gymnastics); Aaliyah Powell (taekwondo); Ottilie Robinson-Shaw (kayaking); Toni Shaw (para-swimming); Maisie Summers-Newton (para-swimming)

Chris Rufford, formerly of Lower Meadow Court, Thorplands, walked into the ladies' in a Northampton shopping centre, sat down in a cubicle and played on his phone while he waited for the police to arrive.

The 37-year-old had recently been released from a two-year prison sentence after he was caught spying on a woman in a McDonalds' toilet in 2017.

He also has 10 other similar previous convictions for voyeurism - but during this latest incident in early January 2019, Rufford did not take any pictures after walking into the restroom.

Instead, Northampton Crown Court heard yesterday (November 19) how Rufford deliberately walked into the lavatory and sat down to play on his phone in order to breach his court order and send himself back to prison.

Her Honour Judge Adrienne Lucking heard how the 37-year-old had had difficulties finding a job since his release and reached the decision that he wanted to go back inside.

Judge Lucking told Rufford in sentencing: "On this occasion, you deliberately breached your custody conditions in the hope you would get sent back inside.

"You simply cannot go around breaching court orders. Breaching court orders with not the way to go about solving your problems.

"There is only one solution, unfortunately, and that is an immediate custodial sentence."

As a result, Rufford was sentenced to another 16 months in prison.

Ellie-May Muddiman was last seen on Sunday, November 17, and the police are asking her to confirm she is safe and well by contacting them or her family.

Ellie-May was wearing glasses, a yellow puffer coat, blue leggings, black Fila trainers and carrying a grey bag.

She is 5ft 4in, of medium build and has shoulder length blonde hair.

Ellie-May is known to frequent Northampton.

Police are asking anyone who sees Ellie-May or knows where she is to call them on 101 regarding reference MPK1/3643/19.