A FUGITIVE prisoner, who jointly stole a Pembroke Dock couple’s life savings of £140,000, is back behind bars after appearing in court accused of a series of assaults in Devon.

Darren Wilcox is serving a seven-and-a-half year sentence for the robbery of an elderly Pembroke Dock couple in in 2010 but has twice been subject to police appeals to trace him.

Wilcox, 38, served just over two years of his sentence when he absconded from Leyhill Open Prison in Gloucestershire. Police issued an appeal and warned the public not to approach him.

He was said the use the names Wilcox, John Gypsy, Darren John, Andrew James Price, Jason Price, Darren Roberts, and Damon Wilcox.

Wilcox, of Mynachdy, Cardiff, was jailed at Swansea Crown Court in August 2011 for robbing carpet fitter Barry Davies and his partner Sheila John of their £140,000 life savings.

Co-defendant Ryan Edwards, now aged 33, of Garylydan, Ebbw Vale, was jailed for seven years. Edwards's uncle, Dorian Edwards, aged 56, of the same address, admitted handling the stolen safe and was jailed for 14 months.

The couple kept the money in a safe in their modest home at Pembroke Dock because they did not trust banks, but Wilcox and Edwards learned of the hoard and robbed them.

They tied up Ms John and stole the safe but were traced by Edwards's DNA on the cable ties they used. Wilcox was traced because of phone contact with Edwards.

The safe was virtually empty and the money had been spent. Wilcox blew £9,000 in a single day on high stakes slot machines.

Wilcox assaulted three people in Axminster, East Devon, after being released on licence in 2015 and appeared at Exeter Crown Court under the name of Darren Roberts.

He pleaded guilty to assaults which caused actual bodily harm to a woman and two men when he appeared at Exeter Magistrates last month.

All the assaults took place at Axminster on June 28, 2015.

His case was adjourned to next month by Recorder Mr Martin Meeke, QC, after he was told that Roberts has changed his legal team and had not had a chance to meet them.

The judge granted him technical bail, but he is currently back in custody after being recalled on licence. He is serving his sentence at HMP Parc, near Bridgend.

He is likely to be sentenced for the Axminster offences when he returns to court next month.