A 31-YEAR-OLD man from the region taken hostage by guerrillas while travelling through South America turned down a chance to escape, it has been revealed.

Mark Henderson, 31, of North Yorkshire, is still missing in the Sierra Nevada mountains in Colombia after being kidnapped with eight other Europeans last month.

But Matthew Scott, 19, who managed to escape told how he begged Mr Henderson to come with him.

His daring escape by diving 12ft into a ravine and trekking through the jungle made headlines around the world.

In an interview, he said that he asked Mr Henderson, a TV producer from Patley Bridge, near Ripon, to join him. However, Mr Henderson turned him down, saying it was a bad idea.

Mr Scott, from London, said: "Mark thought escaping would be a bad idea but would not really say why. I tried to persuade him. I thought that with two people you would have a much better chance.

"Mark was the obvious choice of companion. His morale was good, he was in good shape, but he didn't want to. He said that if anyone got away now, they'd be annoyed. I disagreed strongly."

Mr Scott, who was found by friendly villagers after spending 12 days on his own, decided to try to escape as the hostages were being force marched through the jungle.

"I said, 'Mark, I'm going to get away' and found a spot where I could not be seen. I said, 'I'm sorry Mark, I've got to do this.' He said, 'I think it's a bad idea.' I said, 'When it comes to my neck or that of a stranger, it's my neck every time.' He said, 'OK, I'll remember that."