Possible clue before Malmsbury inmates’ alleged escape

A worrying sign was flagged with management of Malmsbury youth prison before two inmates allegedly made a daring escape.

Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre is among the most hazardous workplaces in Australia. Picture: Rob Leeson

Management at a youth prison was repeatedly told detainees were covering their windows in the period before the alleged escape of two inmates.

Shamus Touhy, 22, and Matthew Piscopo, 19, were arreted after allegedly breaking out of the Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre in central Victoria on Saturday night.

Touhy and Piscopo allegedly escaped through the roof space in their rooms before bolting from the complex.

It is not known whether a vehicle was waiting for them.

The Herald Sun has been told staff at the facility were concerned that inmates were covering windows to their cells, which are used to carry out welfare checks and counts of detainees.

They had told management of their concerns in the weeks before the alleged escapes.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Justice and Community Safety said it could not comment because of the charges laid and the fact a youth justice internal investigation was under way.

Police in the Ballarat area were looking for Touhy as recently as May this year over alleged parole breaches.

Sources say he allegedly threatened staff at Malmsbury during his most recent stint, which was interrupted by the weekend’s alleged escape.

Matthew Piscopo, 19, was arrested in Ballarat.

Shamus Touhy, 22, was arrested on Monday evening.

Teen sent to adult jail after arrest

A teenager arrested 35 hours after allegedly making a grand escape from Malmsbury has been sent to adult jail after the youth justice centre’s staff refused to take him back.

Details of how Matthew Piscopo allegedly smashed through the plaster ceiling of his cell and allegedly crept out the roof of the detention facility about 11.30pm on Saturday were aired when he fronted Ballarat Magistrates’ Court on Monday.

His court appearance came hours after police arrested him at a Ballarat home about 10.30am.

The court heard the 19-year-old had only been sentenced to 10 months’ jail on July 18.

But his age meant he was deemed suitable to serve out his sentence in youth detention over an adult prison, where he would face being influenced by more hardened criminals.

A youth justice representative told the court that Piscopo was not welcome back at the detention centre because he was allegedly the instigator of the escape and that “the good order of the precinct had been disrupted”.

“The centre has been in lockdown since this occurred,” she said.

She said Piscopo had a history of noncompliance with youth justice orders and directions, and had been involved in an assault while on remand in an adult jail.

But in a turn of events, Piscopo’s lawyer Adrian Paull did not fight the application as it was his client’s “wishes” to return to the adult system.

“Mr Piscopo doesn’t want to return to youth justice,” Mr Paull said.

That said, magistrate Ron Saines ordered Piscopo to finish out his sentence in an adult jail.

Piscopo was also ordered to return to court on September 8 to face a charge of escaping custody, to which his lawyer indicated he would likely plead guilty.

Inside Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre.

Second Malmsbury inmate arrested

Shamus Touhy, 22, who also allegedly fled on Saturday, was arrested by Fugitive Squad members at a Corio motel about 8.30pm on Monday night.

He was taken into custody without incident and will face Geelong Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, before being returned to custody.

He also faces additional charges of theft of motor vehicle, theft, escape lawful custody and criminal damage.

Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre accommodates young men aged 15-20 years while on remand or a sentenced Youth Justice Order, in a mixture of low and high-security residential units.

A review is under way into how the alleged escape happened.

Those who escape are liable to be given more time, most likely to be served on top of an existing sentence.

The precinct previously had a mass security breach, with 20 young offenders escaping custody on January 25, 2017. Five of those remained within the centre, 13 escaped via a stolen vehicle and two, who had escaped on foot, were captured soon after and returned.

Victoria Police had arrested and returned all escapees to custody by January 27, 2017.

Last year, a report revealed assaults by detainees sent youth justice workers to hospital at an average rate of almost one a month.

Figures indicated the Parkville and Malmsbury youth justice centres were among the most hazardous workplaces in Australia.