A brief sighting of the 22-year-old Andrew Leonard yesterday resulted in a foot chase, but the man escaped.

Now they have released an image of the man in the hope that anyone who spots him will recognise him and call police.

Leonard, an inmate of Kirkconnell Correctional Centre at Lithgow, was with a group of other prisoners who were

clearing undergrowth at a pine forest at Running Stream when he fled.

Police were contacted after the prisoner absconded from the scene, and over the past two days they have used the police helicopter Polair, the Dog Squad, and resources from Mudgee and Chifley Local

Area Command to search the heavily forested area at Running Stream.

A resident in the area spotted the man yesterday morning and police chased Leonard on foot but he was able to escape back into the scrub in the area off New Olivers Road.

Leonard is currently serving a 36-month custodial sentence

for traffic offences and is a minimum security inmate, police said.

He is described as being of Caucasian appearance, 180cm tall, slim build, brown hair and has a tattoo of a skull on his right forearm and one of a star on his left forearm.

He escaped wearing prison greens.

Anyone with information about Andrew Leonard’s whereabouts should immediately contact triple-0.