Port Phillip Prison inmate charged over jailbreak attempt
A prisoner is set to be the first inmate to face court on charges of plotting to break out of prison, after allegedly using spoons, forks and a screwdriver to dig out bricks in a Port Phillip Prison cell.
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A prisoner will face court over a foiled breakout plot at a Melbourne maximum security prison.
He is the first inmate charged over a conspiracy to bust out of Port Phillip Prison at Truganina that was uncovered last September.
The 22-year-old has been charged with attempting to escape prison and criminal damage.
He is scheduled to face Werribee Magistrates’ Court on February 20.
The well-connected convict is believed to be the first person for many years to face criminal charges of attempting to escape from a maximum security jail in Victoria.
Spoons, forks and a screwdriver were allegedly used to excavate mortar between bricks in an inmate’s cell in the period before the plot was exposed.
Three large Besser block-style bricks were then able to be removed, leaving a gap large enough for a man to climb through.
Much of the digging work is believed to have taken place overnight.
Stolen paint and tissues were used to conceal the gaps where the mortar had been dug away.
Police said this week that investigations into the incident “remain ongoing”.
It is believed at least one other detainee has been interviewed by investigators.
One theory is that an international drug smuggler and conman doing a marathon jail stretch was involved in the plot but remained at arm’s length from the heavy lifting.
Prison sources believe a group of prisoners had planned to get through the hole then hijack or sneak aboard a rubbish truck as part of the breakout.
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A .303 rifle bolt was also allegedly uncovered when prison officers swooped on September 14 last year. Sources said the bolt could have been fashioned into a firearm with the use of a hollow pipe.
Those suspected of involvement with the plot were transferred to Barwon Prison, near Geelong, after authorities became aware of what was going on. It is unclear whether they will also be charged.