19/02/2015

Escaped Prisoner Recaptured In Belfast

An escaped prisoner is being treated in hospital in Belfast after stabbing himself in the abdomen outside a city centre bar.

Derek Brockwell, 53, escaped custody on Tuesday after he attacked two prison guards at Tallaght Hospital.

Brockwell was serving a seven year prison sentence at Portlaoise Prison for armed robbery in 2012. It is understood that he had come to Ireland after escaping custody in England while on day release.

Authorities outside Ireland had been issuing alerts on Brockwell, as it was believed that he would try and reach Scotland.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) received reports that Brockwell was sitting in the outside smoking area of a Wetherspoons pub in Belfast city centre. However, as a number of officers approached the fugitive, he is said to have produced a knife and begun stabbing himself in the abdomen.

It is understood that officers deployed a Tazer against Brockwell.

He is being treated at the city's Royal Victoria Hospital. His condition is unclear.

Gardaí are expected to seek a European arrest warrant for Mr Brockwell to have him returned to Portlaoise Prison to finish his sentence. However, Brockwell is also wanted in England and reports suggest that he will be sent to complete his UK sentence first before being returned to custody in Ireland.

(MH/CD)

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