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A prisoner was able to slip out of handcuffs and enjoy a brief taste of freedom because of his "unusually slight build", the Corrections Department said yesterday.
Christchurch Men's Prison inmate Graham Nolan, 23, took advantage of a medical appointment at Christchurch Hospital yesterday to escape from his escorts about 8.10am.
The prison officers gave chase and a police patrol recaptured him about 25 minutes later in a nearby suburb.
Nolan is serving a six-year sentence for burglary and car theft and was handcuffed to a prison officer for his medical appointment.
"Mr Nolan is of an unusually slight build and a preliminary investigation suggests this allowed him to be able to free his hand," said South Island regional manager Paul Monk.
Sergeant Dave Robertson said the man was spotted hiding in a cemetery and gave himself up when confronted by a police dog.
"The fact that Mr Nolan was caught quickly is down to the actions of the two Corrections officers escorting him," Mr Monk said. "They gave chase and notified the police.
"I'm concerned about this breach of security and an investigation is under way to establish the facts and see how we can prevent this happening again."
Mr Monk said prison escapes were a reality but the department had worked hard to reduce their frequency.
"In fact, in the last 10 years, the number of escapes have fallen 78 per cent."
