Escape from Duisburg-Hamborn Prison: Inmate Sawed Through Bars and Climbed Onto Roof
A 35-year-old remand prisoner escaped from Duisburg-Hamborn prison in the night. A manhunt is underway, with new details of the escape plan having emerged.
Escape from Duisburg Prison: Hiding Place in Cell Floor, Sawed Bar
At approximately 3:20 a.m. during the night, a 35-year-old remand prisoner succeeded in escaping from Duisburg-Hamborn prison. According to reporting by WELT, the incident was disclosed by the North Rhine-Westphalia Justice Ministry. The fugitive is believed to be a Serbian national. By early morning, there was no trace of him, as confirmed by a spokesman for Duisburg police.
The man had apparently prepared the escape carefully. In the floor of his cell, he had created a hollow space beneath the linoleum covering – a hiding place that remained undiscovered during cell inspections. A spokesman for the Justice Ministry explained that the hiding place has since been found, but no tools were found inside it.
According to reconstructions, the prisoner sawed through a bar in front of the window to the courtyard. He pushed back the fine mesh grating using his cell table as a lever. He then climbed over the façade on the inside of the building onto the roof, before descending on the outside in an as yet unknown manner.
North Rhine-Westphalia Justice Minister Benjamin Limbach (Alliance 90/The Greens) described the incident as unacceptable. "Today's escape is absolutely unacceptable. The highest priority now is the swift apprehension of the fugitive remand prisoner," Limbach stated. The incident must also be comprehensively investigated in parallel.
A security expert from the ministry began investigations at the facility the same day. "We will completely clarify how this security breach could have occurred, so that we can immediately draw the necessary conclusions from the findings," the minister announced.
According to the ministry, the man has been in remand custody since 10 February on suspicion of theft. In the meantime, he had been sentenced to a six-year prison term – however, this sentence is not yet final. The manhunt for the fugitive is ongoing.
Source: WELT