Hunt on for 10 escapees
2003-02-18 11:56
Bloemfontein - Free State police are searching for 10 awaiting-trial prisoners who escaped from the Bloemfontein magistrate's court on Monday.
"Our men worked throughout the night and are currently following a number of leads," police spokesperson Inspector Francois Laux said on Tuesday.
The prisoners escaped while they were being escorted to the court cells about 08:00. They fled through an open door at the court.
Captain Ernest Mayiki said on Monday one of the men, Tshepo Monako, 34, of Freedom Square, Bloemfontein, was considered very dangerous. He was one of four men arrested in connection with the murder of a paraplegic woman who was killed in a failed robbery at a Bloemfontein shopping centre.
Anyone with information was asked to contact Laux on 082 446 6174.
Meanwhile, the Inkatha Freedom Party described the escape as "unacceptable", saying it had long highlighted the problems of security arrangements at courts.
"It is unacceptable that awaiting-trial prisoners should find a way of escaping from court premises, allegedly by way of a door that had not been properly secured. This constitutes gross negligence at the very least," IFP Correctional Services spokesperson Sybil Seaton said.
- SAPA