A 45-year-old Ukrainian man, a convicted murderer, escaped from Ruiselede prison in West Flanders during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, reported the Bruges division of the West Flanders Public Prosecutor's Office.
The man, only identified as Iurii P. was serving a 27-year prison sentence for murder related to human trafficking.
The incident occurred during the night of 12 to 13 August at the Penitentiary Agricultural Centre (PLC) in Ruiselede, a sub-municipality of Wingene (close to Bruges). One of the inmates managed to escape via the roof. According to the police, he did not cause any significant damage.
The man is still at large and is under investigation.
In March 2018, the Ghent Court of Appeal convicted him of the murder of a Lithuanian truck driver. The victim was stabbed to death in May 2015 at a motorway rest area in Drongen. The incidents took place within a human smuggling network.
