Prisoner escapes Port Macquarie hospital despite guard firing warning shot
Port Macquarie AU Aug 26 2019
A prisoner who escaped custody at Port Macquarie Base Hospital pushed two guards over before fleeing into nearby bushland, police say.
Matthew Furner, 28, was bathing in preparation to be discharged and returned back to prison about 8:00am when he escaped.
A guard fired a warning shot during the incident, but Furner continued to run and fled into the nearby bushland.
The hospital was in lockdown this morning following the incident, and police are urging the community to avoid the area and not approach Furner if he is spotted.
Detective chief inspector Guy Flaherty said the shot was fired in the bushland area away from the hospital.
“The circumstances of that will be reviewed by both police and corrective services,” he said.
“I understand the two security guards, or the two corrective services guards were with [him] at all times and it was only during a time of bathing and using toilet facilities that he has fled.”
The ABC understands he was not wearing handcuffs at the time.
The Health Services Union said a nurse at the hospital suffered injuries after being assaulted during the escape.
Health Services Union NSW secretary Gerard Hayes described the situation as “unacceptable”.
“I don’t have full detail [yet], but again, another health worker, another injury, another unacceptable security situation in a hospital,” he said.
Furner, who was wearing prison greens, was last seen near the local racecourse.
Police said Furner was not familiar with the area.
He is described as 180 centimetres tall, with a slim build, shaved head and a rat’s tail. He was not wearing shoes at the time.
A manhunt for Furner has been suspended after a widespread search of the area.
It is understood Furner was a prisoner at the Mid North Coast Correctional Centre, in West Kempsey, about 25 kilometres from the hospital and the Port Macquarie town.
