Gang break IN to jail... as prisoner walks OUT
AN OPEN jail is under fire after a break-in AND a breakout on the same day.
Chaos reigned as crooks cut through a perimeter fence to drop off holdalls packed with contraband for inmates.
Then a few hours later a serial car thief walked out of HMP Sudbury in Derbyshire – and allegedly nicked an Audi in a burglary before crashing it 40 miles away.
A source said of the unrelated incidents last Monday: “What on earth is going on?
“For these two incidents to happen on the same day speaks volumes. This is simply chaos.”
First a gang of four masked men arrived at the soft Category D nick to hack out a hole in the fence and haul in six holdalls containing illegal drugs and mobile phones.
No guards were around when the extraordinary break-in took place.
Then it was car crook Andrew Twist’s turn to heap more scandal on the prison. After strolling out unchallenged, Twist, 37, allegedly burgled a house and stole rifles and a safe before making off in a £50,000 Audi.
The red sports car was later clocked by police speeding through Walsall, West Midlands. Witnesses reporting seeing it “flying along the road” before it mounted the pavement. CCTV showed the motor hurtling into a bus stop and wall. Twist was rushed to hospital and put under police guard.
A prison source said: “By all accounts it was carnage, like something from video game Grand Theft Auto. Heads should roll over this – he has form for this and should have been in a closed prison.”
Last night the Prison Service confirmed Twist had absconded from an open prison, adding: “Moving to open prison is an important part of an offender’s rehab and each move is carefully considered.
“But if anyone breaks the rules they can expect to be returned to much tougher, closed prisons to serve extra time behind bars.” Derbyshire police said: “The Audi was stolen at 9.45pm. The burglar also took two laptops, cash and jewellery. West Midlands Police contacted us to report the car had crashed in Walsall.
“The driver was taken to hospital. We will speak to him in due course.”