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Police hunt Derry man after dramatic escape from court

Dean Beattie (22) who escaped from a court house in Derry
Dean Beattie (22) who escaped from a court house in Derry Dean Beattie (22) who escaped from a court house in Derry

POLICE are seeking a 22-year-old man who absconded from a Derry courthouse just as he was due to be charged with a range of violet offences.

Dean Beattie, had been brought to court under police guard and was due to be charged with a number of serious offences.

However, he broke free from a police officer and climbed over two metal fences - one of them around 10 feet high before making off down Bishop Street and turning into Palace Street, believed to be heading in the direction of the Bogside.

He had be due to face charges linked to a violent burglary on Northland Road in Derry, including possessing an imitation firearm and a kitchen knife and assaulting the couple who lived at the property. He is alleged to have stolen mobile phones, their cash and their Christmas presents.

The dramatic escape of the escape was captured by a UTV film crew.

It comes as the Prison Service has revealed that there are seven convicted convicts unlawfully at large having absconded from Northern Ireland's prisons.

Among them 19-year-old Brendan McGuinness, who has been on the run for over 12-years. McGuinness was was jailed for drug offences but failed to return to Maghaberry after being allowed out on a pre-release scheme in 2002.

Thief Frank Shanley (30) has been on the run since 2006 after a pre-release from Maghaberry in 2006.