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PRISON

‘Dangerous inmate’ takes prison chief hostage

The deputy governor of a high-security prison in northern France has been taken hostage by a "particularly dangerous inmate" who is thought to be armed, authorities said Wednesday.

Published: 9 September 2015 12:55 CEST
'Dangerous inmate' takes prison chief hostage
Photo: AFP

The incident started at around 11:00 am (0900 GMT) in the isolation unit of the Vendin-le-Vieil prison, authorities in the Pas-de-Calais region told AFP, adding the hostage-taker was “thought to be armed”.

They said security forces had gone to the prison to “carry out negotiations and a possible intervention.”

The prison is new and was only finished in September last year.

According to the justice ministry, it houses “inmates who have been given long sentences” and as such boasts “highly sophisticated safety features”

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PRISON

Intern at German prison faces hefty bill after sending photo of master key to friends

A man on a work placement at a prison in the state of Brandenburg was immediately dismissed from his internship after sending friends a photo of the prison's master key via the messenger service WhatsApp.

Published: 5 March 2021 10:29 CET
Intern at German prison faces hefty bill after sending photo of master key to friends
A prison key. Photo: DPA

The man now faces paying a bill of up to €50,000 after Brandenburg’s justice ministry had to pay for the immediate replacement of 600 locks in the prison, Bild newspaper reports.

A photograph of a key could provide enough information for a skilled locksmith to be able to replicate it, leading the prison to fear that keys could be smuggled through to the inmates.

The justice department received a tip off that the intern had shared a picture of the master key for the JVA Heidering prison at the end of February. “A large number of cells and corridor doors had to have their locks changed,” a spokesman told Bild.

Some twenty prison guards worked into the early hours of the following morning to ensure that all the locks were changed.

The prison is situated just outside the city boundaries of Berlin on the southwestern edge of the capital.

“The internship ended with immediate effect and the intern was issued with a ban on entering the building,” the spokesperson said.

SEE ALSO: Seventh prisoner escapes from Berlin jail within a week

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