The latest episode reveals the dramatic escape of eight detainees and the ensuing manhunt
Bedford: So, there was this wild incident at Yarl’s Wood Immigration Detention Centre. Eight Albanian detainees made a break for it last April, and it turned into a massive manhunt. The whole thing is featured in the latest episode of “24 Hours in Police Custody,” which airs tonight at 9pm on Channel 4.
The show kicks off with some intense CCTV footage. You see these guys using gym equipment to scale the fence during a chaotic scene. Five of them were caught pretty quickly, but the other eight managed to slip away and went on the run for weeks.
Some of the escapees eventually turned themselves in, but the police had to track down the rest. They scattered all over the place—places like Huddersfield, Watford, and even London.
Detective Chief Superintendent Will Hodgkinson, who led the search, said he’d never seen anything like it. He mentioned that it was a huge challenge, especially since they usually don’t deal with situations on this scale.
They got a lot of help from the Metropolitan Police, which was impressive considering they were also busy with security for the King’s coronation. Eventually, they caught Rizah Koka and another guy chilling at a coffee shop in north London. They found some keys on them, which led to a search where they discovered a stash of drugs and cash.
Other escapees were tracked down in various locations, with some even falling asleep at their hideouts. In the end, all eight men pleaded guilty to escaping custody. The last one to be sentenced got 22 months for violent disorder, while the others received shorter sentences.
Detective Chief Inspector Matt Inwood emphasized how serious this escape was, saying it was a blatant disregard for the law. It took a ton of effort from the police to catch these guys, and they were not happy about it.
So, if you’re curious about how it all went down, don’t miss “24 Hours in Police Custody” tonight!
