A convicted sex offender has managed to break free from protective custody.
A man recently convicted of sexual offenses slipped away from the Meppen prison in Lower Saxony while under guarded supervision. Authorities promptly issued a warning to locals about the escapee, urging them to avoid contact with him.
Police have reason to believe that the missing prisoner might be hiding in the nearby Leer district. The individual managed to flee during a visit to a local bakery, using the opportunity to escape the watchful eye of his escort while heading to the restroom, they later revealed.
The authorities released a photograph of the fugitive, asking anyone who encounters him to maintain a safe distance and immediately dial 911. The escapee is described as being 5'7" tall, having a gray, spotted mustache and thinning, blonde hair. At the time of his disappearance, he was wearing a red short-sleeved shirt and blue jeans.
The convicted criminal had been in custody since July 2010, undergoing a one-year prison sentence for fraud earlier. Following this, he was sentenced to a total of eight years in prison for aggravated sexual assault, domestic violence, coercion, and threats, according to the Hanover Justice Ministry. His current incarceration is part of a preventive detention order, which was put into effect on July 19, 2019.
Preventive detention is enacted after a prison sentence serves its purpose. Its main goal is to shield the general public from any potential harm caused by a convicted individual's repeat offenses. However, it's also intended to allow the offender the chance to live a crime-free life post-detention.
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Source: www.ntv.de
