A prisoner who made a dramatic escape from Corrections custody at Waikato Hospital last week remains at large eight days later, police confirmed today.
The remand prisoner from Spring Hill Corrections Facility, named by police as 48-year-old Damon Anderson, “absconded from Corrections staff” while on a hospital visit at around 1.30pm on December 23.
Footage emerged on December 24 showing how Anderson pulled off the escape by clambering down a large pipe on the side of a hospital building.
Once near the ground, he jumped to safety and jogged around a corner onto a footpath in the direction of Selwyn St, wearing only a pair of shorts.
Police said Anderson was not considered “an immediate risk” to the public but urged the public not to approach him and instead report any sightings by calling 111.
1News approached police for any fresh information on the escapee today and was told there was no update.
Spring Hill general manager Scott Walker told 1News last week Anderson was handcuffed and wearing a GPS monitor when he made off.
Anderson was the second prisoner to escape Corrections staff at Waikato Hospital in a month, with a 25-year-old allegedly assaulting staff and carjacking a vehicle during a medical appointment in November.
An immediate review into the latest incident and last month’s escape would be carried out, Walker added.
“We will be looking at what changes can be made to operational processes in light of the findings when they have been completed,” Walker said.
“Any escape is unacceptable and we are absolutely committed to learning from the reviews and doing everything we can to prevent a similar event from ever occurring again.”
