Dutch authorities apprehend an absconded convicted sex predator.
A 63-year-old sex offender flees during a monitored exit in Meppen. He slips away while using the restroom at a local bakery. Law enforcement launches an immediate search. Authorities now report a successful manhunt across the German border.
The fugitive sex offender in Meppen has been apprehended. He was captured during a routine traffic stop in the Netherlands, reports the Lower Saxony Ministry of Justice. There is no additional information on the arrest or the prisoner's slip during the bathroom break.
The man sneaked out of the protective custody in Meppen prison in Emsland on Thursday afternoon during a supervised release. Police reveal that he took advantage of the bakery's rear exit when using the toilet. Authorities declared that a thorough search for the convict was conducted.
The Ministry of Justice in Hanover confirms that the man had been undergoing detention since July 2010. According to the ministry, his initial sentence of one year in prison was for fraud. He then received a total of eight years for rape, battery, coercion, and intimidation. Uncovered records show that this sentence included preventive detention, which had been imposed since July 19, 2019.
The primary objective of preventive detention is to safeguard the general public from further heinous crimes committed by the offender. Meanwhile, inmates in such arrangements are expected to establish a crime-free lifestyle post-detention. In the state of Lower Saxony, the Meppen and Rosdorf prisons are in charge of carrying out preventive detention.
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- The captured sex offender will be extradited back to Germany to serve the remainder of his sentence, as confirmed by the International Criminal Cooperation Unit in Lower Saxony.
- The incident has sparked calls for improved security measures in prisons dealing with individuals convicted of sexualized violence, both in Germany and across international borders, such as in the Netherlands.
- The police in Hanover are working closely with their counterparts in the Netherlands and other European countries to increase cooperation and information sharing regarding high-risk offenders escaping custody, aiming to enhance public safety.
Source: www.ntv.de
