Elderly fugitive who skipped Sheffield Crown Court trial and sparked police hunt is found

An elderly fugitive who went on the run before he was due to stand trial at Sheffield Crown Court – sparking fears he had fled abroad has been located.
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Donald Wood was convicted last week of sending distressing letters to three Members of Parliament following a trial in his absence.

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Elderly South Yorkshire fugitive who harassed MPs is wanted by police after he f...

It was feared he had fled to Morocco but it has emerged that he was found in Barnsley last night.

Donald Wood who went on the run to avoid a crown court trial in Sheffield has been tracked downDonald Wood who went on the run to avoid a crown court trial in Sheffield has been tracked down
Donald Wood who went on the run to avoid a crown court trial in Sheffield has been tracked down
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The Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Jeremy Richardson QC, issued a judgement following the conviction of 83-year-old Donald Wood, of Roundacre, near Wilthorpe, Barnsley, on February 25 stressing Wood will be brought to justice.

He said: “Justice will be done and it will be seen to be done in this case sooner or later. The defendant – now a criminal – will be brought to justice.”

Wood was found guilty by a jury of three counts of sending a letter with intent to cause distress or anxiety relating to three Labour MPs including Dan Jarvis for Barnsley Central, John Healey for Wentworth and Dearne and Stephanie Peacock for Barnsley East.

Judge Richardson said Wood failed to attend an application hearing on February 14 which was to consider adjourning his case after claims that he needed to attend to his indisposed mother-in-law in Morocco.

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But Wood failed to attend court and the application was refused.

Wood also wrote an abusive letter to the court after he had previously been advised to bring some evidence concerning his mother-in-law’s position.

The trial commenced in Wood’s absence on February 23 and he was found guilty by a jury in his absence two days later of three counts of sending a letter with intent to cause distress or anxiety from March, 2019.

Judge Richardson told the court on Friday: “The defendant was warned in explicit terms that if he did not attend his trial there was a grave risk the case would proceed in his absence.”

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Judge Richardson urged the media to publish the conviction and he urged Wood to surrender to the police.

He said: “I have requested the interest of the press to publicise as far and wide as possible the fact that the defendant has been convicted of these serious crimes.”

Judge Richardson set a sentencing date for Wood of April 5.