In 2018, entrepreneur Peter Madsen was convicted of the murder of journalist Kim Wall. How, the world wonders, did he manage to flee – however briefly – from his prison walls?
Who?
Peter Madsen is a Danish entrepreneur serving time for murdering Swedish journalist Kim Wall in August 2017. Wall was invited onto Madsen’s submarine for an interview. After a brief trip, Madsen dismembered her torso, throwing it overboard before scuttling his vessel. He was rescued by nearby locals and arrested when Wall’s boyfriend raised an alarm.
Where?
Madsen was convicted in April 2018 and incarcerated for up to seventeen years at Herstedvester prison, just west of Copenhagen. Images captured by passers-by show him sitting by a hedge in a residential street.
When?
CCTV captured Madsen leaving the prison, pursued by a guard, at 10:21 CET.
How?
Madsen took a prison psychologist hostage using a pistol-like object, threatening to kill her if security didn’t give him passed. They let him out, raising the alarm. Guards joined a chase, catching him three hundred metres from the prison walls. He entered a van, but soon after the occupants were dragged out. Police backed away when it appeared Madsen was wearing an explosive vest, and they kept him by a hedge awaiting a robot to check the device. When it was confirmed as fake, Madsen was returned to his cell.
This article is a Fika Online exclusive.
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