Portuguese authorities have launched an urgent manhunt after a violent British inmate escaped from a high-security prison near Lisbon on Saturday morning, along with five other prisoners.
Mark Roscaleer, serving a nine-year sentence for kidnapping and robbery, was among the group that broke out of Vale de Judeus prison. The other escapees include two Portuguese and two Romanian nationals, all described by authorities as “dangerous.”
CCTV footage captured the inmates escaping in broad daylight. According to a member of the prison guard corps who spoke to Expresso newspaper, “They went out of the cells into the courtyard and then, with a ladder hidden outside, they climbed over the six-metre-high wall and escaped.”
The prisoners reportedly scaled the 20-foot jail wall using a ladder and were assisted by accomplices waiting outside in a small black Mercedes. The escape went unnoticed until lunchtime, highlighting security concerns at the facility.
Portuguese authorities have warned the public not to approach the fugitives, with one reportedly known to have used a firearm against police in the past.
Roscaleer, who was jailed in June 2020 after an Algarve court trial, has a history of violent offenses and previous escape attempts. In 2019, he tried to break out of a Lisbon jail by covering his body in oil to slip through the bars, but the attempt was foiled.
Frederico Morais, president of the prison guards union, criticized the Portuguese state for the escape, citing a lack of guards and investment in prison security.
Vale de Judeus, with a capacity of 560 inmates, is considered a high-security prison. The escape has prompted an investigation into the security breach.
