Skoda Octavia incident leads to PSNI discovering prisoner unlawfully at large hiding in nettles in Co Armagh

The discovery came after officers from the Road Policing Interceptors (Sprucefield) team were assisting Newry, Mourne and Down District Policing officers when a silver Skoda Octavia failed to stop for police and had been abandoned.

“With the assistance of some members of the public, we located a man hiding in some nettles nearby,” a PSNI spokesperson said.

"He turned out to be the driver of the car despite being a disqualified driver. The car turned out to be uninsured and displaying false number plates, with a selection of different number plates in the boot.

"The male driver was also unlawfully at large from HM Prison since March 2024. We arrested him for a variety of offences related to the incident and after a trip to court he is now safely safely back in prison to complete his original sentence.

"Another male was also arrested in relation to this incident by local officers.

"Many thanks to those concerned members of the public that assisted police in the search for these offenders.

The incident happened in the Bessbrook area of Co Armagh on Monday, June 17.