11:00am Saturday 4th September 2010
A DETAINEE at Kidlington’s Campsfield House immigration detention centre scaled a fence and evaded police – before being caught in London.
The Iraqi national climbed an eight metre-high barbed wire fence at the centre, at 10.30pm on Thursday. He was captured by police in north London early yesterday morning.
A second man also tried to escape, but failed to scale the fence and suffered minor injuries.
Last night, a 51-year-old detainee who had been locked up for seven months, told the Oxford Mail why his friend, known as ‘Aham’, wanted to escape.
He said: “He would have been very desperate. He knew that he could have been injured but was still desperate to get away.”
He added: “Lots of people in here have got wives and kids at home. I can understand why he wanted his freedom.”
Liz Peretz, of the Campaign to Close Campsfield, said: “It is surprising that we don’t get more people trying to escape. It’s terrible and being locked up is distressing.”
David Wood, Head of Criminality and Detention Services, UK Border Agency said: “A detainee escaped from Campsfield immigration removal centre... he has now been recaptured and is back in detention.”
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