BURY ST. EDMUNDS, England, Jan. 26 (UPI) -- A prison inmate was freed at gunpoint Wednesday during a visit to a hospital in eastern England, police said.
Andrew Farndon, 26, was being escorted by two prison officers on the trip to West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St. Edmunds, the Norfolk Eastern Daily Press reported. Farndon needed treatment after being stabbed at Highpoint Prison.
Staff at the hospital and the prison officers said they were approached by a man with a gun in the emergency department just before 7 p.m. The gunman and Farndon ran from the hospital across the parking lot and are believed to have left by car.
Farndon is the second prisoner to be freed at gunpoint this week in England. John Anslow, a suspect in a gang murder, escaped after an attack on the prison van driving him to a court appearance in Stafford.
A judge gave Farndon an indefinite sentence with a three-year minimum in 2007. He was convicted of grievous bodily harm, dangerous driving and aggravated vehicle theft.
