Jail escapee found a day later not far from dilapidated prison in Shaoguan

A man who broke out of a Guangdong jail on Saturday was captured near the prison 29 hours later, mainland media reported.

Li Mengjun, 28, scaled a wall at Beijiang Prison in Shaoguan , in the north of the province, on Saturday morning by standing on the shoulders of another prisoner. He suffered an electric shock and was thrown clear of the wall. and the other inmate fell back inside, the Guangdong Provincial Prison Administration said on Saturday.

He was seized at a deserted brick factory about a kilometre away from the jail yesterday afternoon, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported, quoting an unnamed local police source.

It is thought Li was injured in the escape and was unable to flee farther. Armed police found him during a search near the prison.

Chen Dachao, deputy head of the provincial prison administration, was quoted by Xinhua as saying that Li and another inmate, Wu Changgui, 37, sneaked to the wall via a fire escape from a workshop. Wu aided Li but did not escape.

Xinhua said facilities at the jail were outdated and it was under renovation. The two were able to escape the guards' attention because an unoccupied building earmarked for demolition obscured their vision, it added.