Townsville Correctional Centre inmate falls through TUH ceiling trying to escape guards

An injured prisoner went to extreme lengths to escape his hospital guards in a bizarre incident which resulted in him crashing through the roof of another patient’s room.

AN INJURED prisoner went to extreme lengths to escape his hospital guards in a bizarre incident which resulted in him crashing through the roof of another patient’s room.

The inmate, who was being treated at Townsville University Hospital for an injury, was under the guard of two Queensland Corrective Services (QCS) officers on Saturday when the incident occurred.

Sources told the Townsville Bulletin that the inmate was taken out of his handcuffs to take a shower on Saturday when he saw a window of opportunity to allegedly escape.

It’s understood the inmate made his way into the roof cavity above the bathroom and allegedly tried to flee.

But his getaway was short lived, as he crashed through the roof of another patient’s room nearby.

Townsville Hospital and Health Service acting chief executive Stephen Eaton said he was aware of the incident at the weekend.

“I can confirm an incident involving a patient under the supervision of Queensland Corrective Services (QCS) has occurred at the weekend,” Mr Eaton said.

“No one was physically injured during the incident; however, support has been offered to those involved.”

QCS have been contacted for comment.

It comes after a series of embarrassing gaffes at the prison in recent weeks, including the escape of three inmates last month.

On June 27, three prisoners walked off the low-security farm facility at Stuart and absconded with the help of people on the outside in a getaway car.

The trio went on the run, but were eventually arrested one by one over the course of a week.

The recent escapes came just a few months after another inmate stole a car from the facility and drove out of the compound.

The security at the facility has been questioned by opposition MPs, but the department has previously defended the establishment and its processes surrounding low-security inmates.

Originally published as Townsville Correctional Centre inmate falls through TUH ceiling trying to escape guards