A prisoner who tricked officers into thinking he had appendicitis by cutting himself with a broken lighter in a “calculated” prison escape has had more than a year added to his time behind bars.
Lee Hipson, 24, slipped his guards after he was taken to hospital and evaded police for around 14 hours on August 4 last year.
Hipson was jailed for six years and nine months in November 2012 for attacking a couple with a blade during a Christmas Eve robbery.
Yesterday he appeared via video link from the prison at Aberdeen Sheriff Court where he admitted his escape.
Procurator Fiscal John Richardson told the court that on August 3 last year, Hipson convinced prison staff that he was ill.
It is understood the prisoner used the lighter to make a wound which he could reopen at will, and mixed blood from the injury with urine during a medical test to fake the condition.
Three prison officers were given a car and told to take him to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
When they arrived at the hospital’s car park just after midnight, Hipson was in chain handcuffs.
Mr Richardson said he then somehow got out of his restraints.
“At this point, the handcuff was dropped to the ground,” he told the court.
“The accused then ran off, shouting ‘I’m sorry’.
“He remained at large for a number of hours, until 2pm that day.”
Officers traced Hipson while they were attending an “unrelated incident” at Newtonhill, around 10 miles from the hospital.
He was taken into custody, where he was monitored and was heard to discuss his plans to feign the health condition and said that he had planned to stay at large for six weeks.
Defence agent Alan Wickham told the court Hipson has been diagnosed with a number of mental health conditions, including split personality disorder and paranoid schizophrenia, but did not meet the requirements for a plea of insanity.
He said: “Mr Hipson is under no illusion that a custodial sentence is inevitable.
“Although he does not meet the requirements for the defence of insanity, this was an offence by someone not sound of mind at the time.”
Over the course of the hearing, Hipson made various indecent gestures via the video link, and took a bow after being told his sentence.
Sentencing Hipson to a further 21 months’ imprisonment, Sheriff William Summer said: “This was a serious offence.
“You engaged in a calculated attempt to escape from lawful custody, and you were at large for about 12 hours.
“Having regard to that, and your record of serious offences, there is no other option than a custodial sentence.”
