Dean Beattie escaped from Derry courthouse last December
A number of PSNI officers are to be disciplined after a prisoner escaped from their custody at Derry’s courthouse last year while not in handcuffs.
Dean Beattie was due to face at Derry Magistrates’ Court on December 23 on charges of robbery, assault and firearms offences.
The 22-year-old had been taken to the court building from the custody suite at Strand Road police station in a PSNI escort van.
But as he was being transferred to court in a gated area outside it, Beattie escaped from the officer escorting him.
He was then captured by a television crew fleeing the courthouse grounds after scaling two fences, one of them 10 feet high.
A UTV cameraman recorded him running through the turnstile and sprinting down Bishop Street. stopping momentarily to look back at the crew, before taking to his heals again.
The police officer was left inside the locked compound and was unable to chase him.
Beattie remained at large for six days before he was found in a house in the city and arrested.
Police had tracked him to the property after he posted a message on his Facebook account.
He later appeared in court, this time in handcuffs, charged with escaping from lawful custody and was later remanded in custody.
The police launched an internal investigation into the escape by its Professional Standards Departments (PSD).
PSNI Chief Constable George Hamilton told the Policing Board last week that the man had not been handcuffed while he was being escorted to the courthouse.
He said that all the officers concerned are now facing disciplinary proceedings.
He added: “Guidance has been circulated to all staff in Derry City and Strabane involved in the escort of detained persons.
“This guidance has been shared with all District Commanders.
“PSNI are responsible for the escort of prisoners up until the point they are lodged into custody at the Courthouse with Prison Custody Officers at which time their detention and subsequent escort becomes the responsibility of the NI Prison Service.”
The incident also led to a review of security procedures at courthouses by the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service.
Speaking in the Assembly, Justice Minister David Ford said: “The review was carried out in consultation with the police and the Prison Service.
“Members will understand that it would not be appropriate for me to discuss the outcomes of the review, but I can reassure the House that the security arrangements in place at courthouses are kept under review and subject to regular inspection.
“There are always lessons to be learned from an incident such as that.
“They may relate to the physical fabric of courthouses and other places of concern, or there may be issues with the management of individuals coming into those places.
“In that case, the issue would seem to be slightly more to do with the second point than the first.”
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