BOLOBEDU – An 18-year-old, awaiting-trial prisoner, who escaped from the Kgapane Hospital last Saturday night, was rearrested the following day, thanks to the boy's father whom the police described as one of the few responsible parents.

According to the police spokesperson in the Mopani Area, Capt Moatshe Ngoepe, the boy was arrested several days before this escape last Saturday. According to the police statement, the suspect complained that he was feeling some pains hours before he escaped.

He was then taken to the Kgapane Hospital under police guard later that evening. While in hospital, the suspect requested to go to the nearby toilet. The police accompanied him there. While he was inside the toilet, the police officer who was guarding him remained outside.

After relieving himself, the suspect noticed that there was another door at the back of the toilet. He then escaped through it and vanished in the darkness. The police tried to trace him but to no avail. The suspect arrived at his home on Sunday night.

According to the police statement, the suspect's father asked him why he was back at home while everyone at home knew that he was in custody. The boy told the father that he was not feeling well and that he decided to come back home to search for some muti that would cure his pains.

The statement indicates that the boy's father went to the police station and notified them about the presence of his son at home. The police proceeded to the man's kraal and rearrested the suspect. In the statement, which was issued this week, the police have praised the suspect's father for not harbouring a suspect, despite the fact that it was his son.