more participants at Jenny Matlock's Alphabet Thursday
letter F
This not a fairy tale, but a true story which happened a few years ago in Belgium
A felon who was already 5 years in prison for aggravated battery, burglery and drug dealing had still more than 8 years to do. But during a medical visit at hospital, he managed to escape and was searched all over the country and in whole Europe for months.
For an unknown reason one day the fugitif decided that life in liberty wasn't that nice and he was better in prison. He decided to give up as nobody catched him and presented himself at the door of a prison in Verviers, a city in the south of Belgium. As he was not in possession of his identity card (!), the prison's employes refused to let him in and sent him away ! But that wasn't all, they even suggested him to go to the city administration and ask for a new card ! I think this is the first country were a criminal fugitif has to have an identity card* to be admitted in a prison.
The man had been initially incarcerated in Gent, a flemish speaking town, but he spoke only French. When he had decided to give up his life as a fugitif and go back to prison life, he didn't want to go back to a Flemish speaking prison, but prefered a French speaking one that's why he choose Verviers in the French speaking part of Belgium.
During his escape, the fugitif had been arrested twice, once because he had no car insurance and once during a police control for an alcohol test. Each time he was released. Apparently nobody wanted him although he still was actively searched by the police all over the country and abroad.
When he finally was arrested, the director of the prison who had refused to let him in, explained to the press the reason why the man wasn't admitted : "We have never seen this person before, because he wasn't incarcerated here. We had no possibility to identify him because he had no papers, everybody could pretend that he was him (!!)and we would be accused to arrest an innocent, and anyway our prison is full and we have no space for eventual intruders" !
Don't forget your identity card, if ever you want to spend some time in a Belgian prison, they are fully booked !
* All citizens of Europe, except the UK have to have an identity card with which is like a sort of passport, driver licences, as in the USA are not valid.
