Friday, July 5
It’s happened again? Third Berlin prison escape this week
For the third time this week and fourth time this year, a prisoner has escaped detention in Berlin. On Thursday morning, a 40 year-old prisoner left Plötzensee Prison in Charlottenburg without permission. Authorities are scrambling to locate him but have been unsuccessful so far.
The prisoner slipped his guards while travelling with a group of inmates on their way to the doctor. His crimes are not particularly serious: he had been fined €2,250 for theft, failed to pay, and was sentenced to a prison in lieu of payment. Since he was in open custody, he was permitted to leave the prison during the day.
More alarming for Berlin is the regularity with which these escapes are now occurring. Last Saturday, a 57 year-old man who had been sentenced to prison for assault and rape used an escorted visit to his mother’s house in Neukölln to escape detention. He went to the toilet and never returned. Police announced his capture on Friday morning.
A few days before that, a double murderer slipped his guards and was recaptured a few days later in Brandenburg. Back in February, a prisoner escaped during a supervised visit, but was located by authorities after about three days.
Berlin has now suspended further outings until further notice.
