A manhunt is underway in Liverpool after a prisoner managed to escape from a secure van right outside a magistrates court, leaving officers scrambling to track him down.
Stephen Grzyb, 22, had been charged with burglary and was being transported to Liverpool Magistrates Court when he made his move. Somehow he got out of the van before ever making it inside the building, slipping away before anyone could stop him.
The escape is an embarrassing one for the authorities. Getting a prisoner from a van into a courthouse is about as routine as custody work gets, yet Grzyb managed to find a way out at that precise moment, right on the doorstep of the court itself.
Police have now launched a manhunt to find him and are urging anyone who spots him or knows where he might be hiding to get in touch immediately. Officers are treating the matter seriously, and the search is ongoing.
Grzyb is described as a white male, 22 years old, and members of the public are being warned not to approach him but to contact Merseyside Police straight away if they have any information about his whereabouts.
The incident raises fresh questions about security procedures during prisoner transfers, a process that is supposed to be tightly controlled from the moment someone is taken into custody to the moment they arrive before a judge. How a young man in custody managed to walk away from a van parked outside one of the city’s main courts will no doubt be the subject of an internal review.
Liverpool Magistrates Court handles a huge volume of cases every week, and the area outside is typically busy with legal professionals, members of the public, and court staff. That Grzyb was able to disappear in that environment without being immediately recaptured makes the situation all the more striking.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Merseyside Police directly.
Only in Liverpool mate, only in Liverpool 😂 bet he didn’t even get far though, they never do.