18 June 2010 Last updated at 12:05 ET

Mozambican man freed on parole breaks back into jail

Antonio said he felt safer behind the prison bars

A Mozambican man has begun a one-year jail term after breaking back into a prison.

Macamelo Antonio, 28, was sentenced for destroying state property after he used a hammer and crowbar to enter the prison compound this week.

Antonio, who had been given 10 years for the murder of his stepfather in 2004, was released on parole for good behaviour last year.

But he said he wanted to return to the jail for his own safety.

He had also been unable to find a job since being released.

Francisco Mate, the director of the Manica Agricultural Penitentiary, central Mozambique, told the BBC that Antonio had had trouble earning a living on the outside.

Antonio had also reportedly feared that his stepfather's family would try to kill him.

Mr Mate said Antonio had first tried to return to the prison through the main door but was turned back by guards.

Determined to succeed, Antonio then used a hammer and a crowbar to break a prison wall. He was discovered inside the jail and identified as a former prisoner.

"This is very unusual. Prisoners usually try to sneak out of the cells and not the opposite," the prison boss said.