SPS Prison

Police have launched a search for a prisoner who escaped from the custody of a private security firm around 2.15pm this afternoon.

A police helicopter was called to the scene after the man jumped from a G4S van whilst he was being returned to prison from a visit to St John’s Hospital in Livingston, West Lothian.

The prisoner’s identity has not been released at this time.

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Prison Service said: “We are aware that an individual has escaped from the custody of G4S while on a hospital escort.

“We are assisting Police Scotland to apprehend them.”

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John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.