A convicted murderer who escaped while out of prison on accompanied release has been found in an Italian hospital after crashing his getaway motorcycle, German police reported on Thursday.
The 42-year-old man escaped on the motorcycle in Peine in the German state of Lower Saxony on Tuesday afternoon. He was later involved in an accident in the Venice region and treated in hospital.
According to the Justice Ministry in the state of Lower Saxony, the man was out on accompanied release to visit the home of his mother. He apparently made use of the visit to escape on his motorcycle that was being kept in a nearby garage.
A police search was launched, and the trail soon led to Italy, investigators said. The details of the accident as well as the injuries suffered by the prisoner remain unclear.
The man, a German citizen, is serving a life sentence for murder and attempted aggravated rape. He stabbed a 23-year-old woman called Melanie to death in 2010 when she refused to have sex with him after they had met through the internet.
The man admitted his crime during his trial. He was handed a life sentence in 2011 at the age of 27, with the court ruling that he should not be released after 15 years. The Lower Saxony Justice Ministry said he would have to remain in prison for at least 19 years.
