Manhunt under way after a prisoner escapes from hospital in west London

Graham Gomm was last seen wearing a grey t-shirt and grey tracksuit. Any members of the public who see him have been warned not to approach and call 999.

Friday 19 July 2024 15:31, UK

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A manhunt is under way after a man escaped custody from a prison in west London, the Metropolitan Police have said.

Graham Gomm, 63, eluded prison staff on Thursday after being taken to Hammersmith Hospital from HMP Wormwood Scrubs after falling ill.

He had been on remand for burglary offences, the Met said.

Detectives said they are concerned for Gomm's welfare as he was receiving medical care before he escaped.

The prisoner was last seen wearing a grey t-shirt and grey tracksuit.

Officers are currently carrying out searches, conducting inquiries and have visited a number of addresses linked to Gomm, after being alerted of his escape at around 1.18am on 18 July.

Members of the public who see him have been warned not to approach and call 999. There is nothing to suggest he is a threat to the public, the Met said.

Another day, another bad headline in the UK prisons crisis

By Mollie Malone, news correspondent

It's almost every day at the moment 鈥� a new prison headline. And not a good one. Today is no exception.

This will be yet another headache for the government battling a prisons crisis.

Wormwood Scrubs isn鈥檛 one of the worst when it comes to prison conditions, but it is an overcrowded prison with a high remand population. Prisoners are not supposed to be on remand (awaiting court) for longer than six months, but there are huge backlogs at the moment, meaning around 2,000 offenders have been held for over a year.

The latest HMIP Inspection report noted improvements in the way Wormwood Scrubs was being run 鈥� but it still references "insufficient staff capacity" and "staff shortages", as well as "poor cell ventilation, overcrowding and minimal time out of cell" for offenders, making "conditions difficult".

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Manhunt under way after a prisoner escapes from hospital in west London

Another day, another bad headline in the UK prisons crisis

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