They met near a quarry lake, the murderer and his wife. The two children were there too. And two correctional officers who were supposed to make sure the criminal didn’t get away. Aleksandr P. and his family should go for a walk. Lawyers speak of “prison-opening measures” when prisoners are allowed to leave prison for a short time and under supervision. Normally the public doesn’t hear about it – unless something goes wrong.
A week ago on Monday, Aleksandr P., sentenced to life imprisonment for murder, fled. He disappeared during his exit in a forest near Germersheim in Rhineland-Palatinate. Since then, investigators in Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate have been searching for the 42-year-old. The excitement is particularly great in Baden-Württemberg, where the man has been in Bruchsal prison since 2012.
Why could the ankle bracelet that was supposed to secure the man be opened so quickly?
The case has now reached the Baden-Württemberg state parliament. Normally, MPs here deal with the intricacies of fishing law or the difficulties of housing construction. This Wednesday afternoon, however, the focus is, among other things, on how electronic ankle bracelets work. The FDP MP Julia Goll has fundamental questions, after all, the incident did not exactly “contribute to the citizens’ need for security.” Why could the ankle bracelet that was supposed to secure the man be opened so quickly? What consequences are the prisons drawing from the incident? And anyway: “How can it be that a prisoner can escape despite the presence of two officers?”
Then Justice Minister Marion Gentges (CDU) takes the lectern, but she is unable to shed much light on the matter. Gentges says that before the prisoner was “executed,” the ankle bracelet was “properly put on.” A photograph was also taken, which is standard procedure. The prisoner was then taken to the Germersheim recreation area, “where the escape occurred.”
There are now over 60 leads and clues that are being followed up
According to Gentges, the ankle bracelet was “cut using a tool.” The minister is not more specific. What happened that day in the local recreation area is “the subject of extensive investigations,” which she cannot currently comment on for tactical reasons. According to a spokeswoman for the State Criminal Police Office, there are now over 60 leads and tips that are being followed up.
What is known, however, is that Aleksandr P. was imprisoned for five years in 2003 for manslaughter. In 2012, the Karlsruhe regional court sentenced him to life imprisonment for tying up, beating and later strangling a man. The court also noted the particular gravity of the guilt. Given this biography, there are doubts as to how safe it is to allow someone like that to leave, even if he is accompanied by officers.
In principle, the Baden-Württemberg Correctional Code allows such exits, provided, however, that there is no risk of escape. The Bruchsal JVA did not see this in Aleksandr P.’s case. Since 2019, long before his escape, he has been allowed to leave prison under supervision eight times. He also met his family there, always accompanied by officials. The institution says there were no complaints. That was obviously a misjudgment.