A 26-year-old man who harboured Facebook fugitive Alvone Maybury was jailed for three months yesterday.

Kim Knights, who hid Maybury in the wooden shed where he lives on Secret Lane, Pembroke, admitted the offence in Magistrates' Court, along with attempting to pervert the course of justice by giving a false name to Police.

Prosecutor Robert Welling told the court how detectives hunting for Maybury attended the shed on July 27 armed with a warrant. They tried to enter but the 10ft by 8ft cabin was locked.

The officers looked through a window and saw Knights behind the door and a female — Chelsea Hollis — sitting on the floor; Knights claimed he was having trouble opening the door.

Mr. Welling said Knights was shown a copy of the warrant and told that Police were looking for Maybury. When asked if there was anyone else in the room but him and the female, he replied no. Knights told Police his name was Javon Tacklyn.

The officers searched the premises and found Maybury — who gave prison officers the slip on July 13 before writing about life on the lam on Facebook — curled up on the floor of a closet next to a storage container.

Mr. Welling said the runaway told Police: "OK, you got me. How did you know I was here? You came straight away. I knew something was wrong, the way my boy looked out of the window."

The prosecutor told Magistrate Juan Wolffe he could give Knights a maximum 12 months in prison, arguing: "This is a case towards the top end of the range of harbouring an escaped prisoner."

Ken Savoury, mitigating, said the court should not be swayed by the publicity surrounding Maybury's escape from custody.

He said the fugitive arrived at Knights' shed moments before Police swooped. "He had never been there the two weeks prior that he had escaped custody," said the defence lawyer, adding that Maybury's comments to Police made it clear he had only just got to the shed.

Mr. Savoury said Knights knew Maybury. "He didn't ask him to leave because Mr. Maybury only asked to have his phone charged. He didn't ask him to stay but he didn't ask him to leave."

Mr. Wolffe asked if Maybury wanted his phone charged in order to continue updating his status on the "infamous network". "It appears that way," replied Mr. Savoury.

He said his client had no previous convictions and had been remanded in custody since July 28 for a traffic offence.

"This period of time of incarceration was a sobering moment for him. He acknowledges now that he has made a mistake and he is very remorseful.

"This was a sharp shock for the defendant, having never been in trouble before. I would suspect you will not see him before the courts again."

Mr. Wolffe sentenced Knights to three months in jail for each offence, to run concurrently, with time already served taken into account.

He said harbouring a criminal was always a serious matter, regardless of the offences committed by the escapee, and a "clear and unequivocal message" needed to be sent to those considering doing so.

The magistrate added there was no evidence that Knights harboured Maybury for his entire time on the run.

Chelsea Hollis was arrested at the same time as Knights but it is understood that Police decided not to charge her as she had no control over the premises.

Maybury has pleaded guilty to escaping lawful custody and is due to be sentenced after he stands trial for gun offences.