A PROLIFIC robber who escaped from an open prison in Aylesbury and travelled to Oxford should not have been moved there if he was a danger to the public, union bosses have warned.

John Rooney, 47, who is halfway through a 24-year jail sentence for kidnap and robbery, walked out of HMP Springhill on Monday and got on to a bus from Bicester travelling towards Oxford.

Thames Valley Police warned the public not to approach Rooney because they could be at risk of harm . He was jailed in 2003 for a string of offences and had been moved to the open prison where long-term prisoners are prepared for release.

Prison Officers Association spokesman Glyn Travis said the union had repeatedly raised concerns with the Ministry of Justice about dangerous inmates being moved to open prisons.

He said: “ We believe that prisoners who still pose a risk to the public are being sent to open prisons too early and therefore when they abscond the police immediately alert the public that this person is a danger.

“Anyone who’s in an open prison shouldn’t be considered a risk to the public; they shouldn’t be there if they are .”

Rooney has tattoos on both his hands and fingers as well as up his right arm, and possibly other tattoos on his face.

Anyone who sees Rooney is urged not to approach him, and asked to call police via 999 immediately.