A man who was arrested after being on the run for 12 years is free again after an English judge said that he was lucky and granted him bail.

The Sun reports that the 37-year-old suspect, who faces grievous bodily harm charges, has been on the run since 2009.

The court heard that during his 12 years on the run, the suspect left England for Northern Ireland, where he settled and had two children. 

The report says the man returned to England a few months ago and was arrested after seeking help from police, “after finding himself with no phone, cash or bank card — and they ran checks on his identity”.

Granting him bail, judge David Griffith-Jones was quoted by The Sun to have said: “You’re a very lucky man. I have found it appropriate in spite of your history to grant you bail.”

The bail conditions, until his scheduled trial in November, include a curfew and he is banned from applying for travel documents.

“I won’t let you down,” the suspect promised the judge after being granted bail.