POLICE have caught a North Yorkshire man who broke prison-release rules after he was jailed for robbery.

Joshua Sargent, from Thirsk, was arrested in Sheffield yesterday and is currently in custody. The 20-year-old is now due to be transferred back to prison, having previously been released on licence in September after being jailed for three years for a March 2011 robbery in Ripon marketplace.

"Joshua Sargent believed he could continue to make a mockery of the justice system and evade his due punishment by flouting the terms of his prison-release licence, and this was clearly not the case," said Inspector Mark Gee of North Yorkshire Police's Hambleton and Richmondshire Safer Neighbourhood Team.

"The fact Sargent is now back in custody to serve the remainder of his sentence for robbery shows North Yorkshire Police will never stop hunting for those people who blight our communities and deserve to be behind bars."

The original appeal for information on Sargent's whereabouts was made at the start of October, and Inspector Gee thanked the media and the public for helping the search, saying: "It is vital police and the public work together to bring offenders to justice, reduce crime and improve the quality of life for us all."