Robber fleas from A & E
A ROBBER made a bid for freedom when he was left by prison staff in a hospital's accident and emergency department.John Patrick Piro, 28, was taken under escort to Ipswich Hospital from Hollesley Bay open prison, near Woodbridge, after he complained he had injured his ankle.
A ROBBER made a bid for freedom when he was left by prison staff in a hospital's accident and emergency department.
John Patrick Piro, 28, was taken under escort to Ipswich Hospital from Hollesley Bay open prison, near Woodbridge, after he complained he had injured his ankle.
But Piro then dashed out of the hospital and Suffolk police have warned the public not to approach the robber and officers urged anyone who saw him to immediately call 999.
Piro was serving five years imprisonment for robbery and he was taken to the hospital on July 2 after saying he had injured his ankle.
A Suffolk police spokeswoman said he was left in the accident and emergency department at about 8.15pm and he was reported missing by hospital staff at 3am the next morning.
A Prison Service spokesman said the prison assessed an inmate's health needs and then made a decision on where he needed to be treated.
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"If it is deemed by the medical staff on duty that an injury is significant and serious enough that it can not be treated in the prison then he would go to an outside hospital," said the Prison Service spokesman.
He said a prisoner would be escorted to the hospital and he would be kept under escort there.
Prisoners who abscond from Hollesley Bay or go missing while they are away from the prison estate are normally returned to a closed prison when they are recaptured.
A hospital spokeswoman said: "We work very closely with the prison governor and the Home Office whenever we care for anyone who is being detained under Her Majesty's Pleasure." She said she could not comment on individual cases.
Piro is described as white, of medium build, 5ft 10ins tall, with brown hair and blue eyes. He has connections to Sidcup in Kent and Kidbrooke in London and police officers are advising anyone seeing Piro not to approach him. They should call 999 immediately.
Anyone who may have seen him or who has information about where Piro is now, is asked to call Suffolk police on 01473 613500 or their local police station.
