An ‘extremely dangerous’ criminal was mistakenly released from prison the day he arrived.
The 30-year-old burglary gang member has previously rammed police cars while trying to escape capture.
Last month he was jailed for two years after being convicted for money laundering and tax dodging on November 25.
But now he is on the run after a ‘processing error’ caused by his multiple warrants saw him mistakenly released the day he arrived at Midlands Prison in Co Laois, Ireland, the Irish Independent reports.
Whether he has fled the country, or is still – as police intelligence suggests – driving around in a blue Volkswagen Golf, is uncertain.
A source said: ‘He was given even more jail time at the court hearing in Dublin but was then able to walk out of the prison.
‘It was a mistake but no doubt a bizarre incident.’
This isn’t the first time a prisoner has been accidentally set free in Ireland.
Miscalculations saw three released early over an 18-month period leading up to May 2022, the Examiner reported.
Police are understood to be surveilling properties linked to the burglary gang member in Co Carlow and in a rural area near Tallaght, Dublin.
Asked for comment on the manhunt, a police spokesperson told Metro: ‘The custody and management of those serving sentences is a matter for the Irish Prison Service.’
The prison service does not comment on individual prisoners.
Linked to one of Ireland’s largest burglary gangs, which has stolen millions of euro, the fugitive was mentored by a mob boss called ‘Fat’ Andy Connors.
Mr Connors was shot dead by a masked man at his home in Co Dublin 10 years ago. The murder has not been solved.
His brother William Connors, 48, was jailed for eight years last month for conspiracy to commit burglary.
He had led police on a high-speed chase following a 2022 burglary.
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