Escaped convict found

Police on Thursday evening apprehended a convict who earlier in the day had managed to slip security and escape from the Central Prisons in Nicosia.

The inmate, Yiannis Terlemes, of dual Cypriot and Greek nationality, was arrested at his Paphos home around 9pm, and returned to prison.

He could face additional jail time, as escaping from prison is a criminal offence.

Before busting out, Terlemes was last spotted in a courtyard by security cameras just before 4pm.

Terlemes, 26, was serving out the remainder of his sentence in the Open Prison in Nicosia, where security conditions are laxer compared to the Central Prisons.

In the Open Prison he was assigned to cleaning duty; he was said to be sweeping at the time of his escape.

Having realised Terlemes was missing, the Central Prisons immediately notified the police, who put out an all-points bulletin with the man’s details. Airports and checkpoints were also alerted.

A father of five, Terlemes was serving out a three-year sentence for multiple robberies. He was convicted in 2013 and was set to be released early next year.

It’s understood his breakout was likely prompted by his wife telling him a week ago that she wanted a divorce – the couple last spoke on the phone on Thursday.

According to the Central Prisons’ acting director Anna Aristotelous, the man was an exemplary inmate throughout, never causing any problems.

He got a 24-hour leave on New Year’s Eve, which he spent with his family, returning to the prisons on time.

Terlemes was not entitled to another 24-hour leave until March. Inmates in the Open Prison are allowed to request leave every two months.

Aristotelous has meanwhile ordered a probe to determine lack of any oversight by prison wardens.

 

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