Elijah John, who is serving a four-month jail sentence for possession of a firearm went from jailbird, to lovebird, and back to jailbird – all in a few hours

According to reports, John was determined to spend some time with his girlfriend, so much so that he crawled past razor wire, sustaining cuts and bruises while jumping the compromised wall at His Majesty’s Prisons.

According to reports from the police, John, 31, scaled the back perimeter fence shortly before 3:00 a.m.

The police were informed and a search for John was underway when lawmen spotted a man who appeared to be the escaped prisoner on Factory Road dressed in all black.

They began to chase him but the individual then jumped the western fence at T.N Kirnon school and disappeared into the schoolyard.

Police say while on their man haunt, they spotted a white RAV-4 on the Eastern side of the prison with its engine still running.

The female occupant of the vehicle turned out to be John’s girlfriend, a 21-year-old from Martins Village.

She was then taken out of the vehicle and interviewed, and certain information was obtained. Police say while they were still speaking to the woman, her phone rang.

The escaped prisoner was on the other end and the police instructed her to tell him to “give himself up”. The woman complied, telling John “turn yourself” but he never responded.

The woman was taken to the police station along with her vehicle but was later released. John was not apprehended.

Several hours later, as prison guards were relocating the inmates who shared a cell with the escaped prisoner, John was seen in the bathroom dressed only in his underwear and a pair of socks. He had cuts and bruises on his body.

Superintendent of Prisons, Lieutenant Colonel Trevor Pennyfeather said “the incident emphasized the major security challenges associated with the prison which were a long-standing issue for his predecessors”

“It was just up to [Tuesday] that I was discussing some immediate decision to be taken based upon my point paper to the Minister and to the Permanent Secretary which included some of those concerns,” he said.