Glasgow prisoner freed after pretending to be cell mate
A teenage prisoner tricked security guards into freeing him by pretending to be his sleeping cell mate, a court has heard.
The 16 year old was released by Reliance officers at Glasgow Sheriff Court after he lied about his identity.
He told them he was a fellow prisoner who had been granted bail but had fallen asleep.
The guards were supposed to check his image on a computer system but failed to do so.
The prisoner walked out of court but was arrested the following day after the mistake was discovered.
Details of the blunder emerged when the 16-year-old appeared in court and admitted attempting to pervert the course of justice by lying to guards in April this year.
Prosecutor Elaine Sibbald told the court that Reliance officers failed to carry out the appropriate checks before releasing the youth.
She said: "The normal checks that should have been done were not done.
"In particular, his photo should have been viewed on the computer screen by reliance staff and only once the photo matched him should he have been released."
The court heard that the mistake was only realised at the end of the day when all of the prisoners were being returned.
The 16-year-old was remanded for breaching bail conditions relating to an assault and robbery charge.
The court was also told that when officers went to re-arrest the teenager he told them he was going to write a book about his escape.
Miss Sibbald added: "While he was being detained, he was boasting about his antics to the police."
Sheriff Norman Ritchie QC deferred sentence until next month for background reports.