Prisoner who attacked women captured in Lancashire after escaping from hospital
He was serving an indefinite secure hospital sentence for attacking two women when he escaped from custody...
An escaped prisoner who absconded after being transferred to hospital to receive medical treatment has been arrested and is in custody.
Marwan Jumaa, 20, a Sudanese national deemed to be a risk to himself and others, is serving an indefinite secure hospital sentence for attacking two women.
He escaped after being transferred from his secure hospital facility to North Manchester Hospital for medical treatment on Tuesday evening.
Police had issued an urgent appeal for any information or intelligence on his whereabouts, but announced in the early hours of Friday that he had been arrested by a member of Lancashire Police.
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said: “Thank you to everyone who shared and responded to our appeal earlier this evening to help locate wanted man Marwan Jumaa.
“Following extensive enquiries, we can confirm that Jumaa has been arrested by our colleagues at Lancashire Constabulary. He is currently in their custody.”
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Detective Superintendent Nicola McCulloch, of GMP’s serious crime division, said: “This has been a fast-paced investigation which has involved a significant number of officers and resources from Greater Manchester Police.
“An observant Lancashire Constabulary officer recognised Jumaa and acted swiftly to arrest him. He will now be returned to a secure hospital facility.
“I would like to thank the public for their support following our appeal. Our call handlers received a considerable amount of information from members of the public and that assistance has been invaluable in helping us locate Jumaa.
“We are extremely grateful for the support shown throughout this investigation.”
A CCTV video, which showed Jumaa casually leaving the hospital unaccompanied in a light blue T-shirt, had earlier been circulated by police.
Court records show that in January this year Jumaa pleaded guilty to three offences at Woolwich Crown Court in London.
The offences, all committed in the capital on July 17 last year, were assaulting an emergency worker, a police officer, the robbery of a woman and inflicting grievous bodily harm on a second woman.
Jumaa had been held at HMP Belmarsh in March and sentenced for the offences in April this year.
Lancashire Police were approached for comment.