A drug dealer nicknamed ‘Mr Big’ escaped custody and went on the run for 40 days after ‘incompetent’ police officers tasked with monitoring him watched TV and scrolled on their mobile phones.  

PCs Lydia Jackson and Rob Lawton were warned Lewis Abubakar must be ‘watched like a hawk’ because he had previously tried to evade capture.  

The officers were briefed by the custody sergeant and signed an affidavit confirming they understood they must be ‘vigilant at all times.’  

But the pair, who had 12 years of experience between them, allowed Abubakar to slip away while he received treatment at Horton General Hospital in Banbury, Oxfordshire, following his arrest on April 14, 2020.  

He was cuffed in the hospital but simply stood up and walked out while both officers were distracted.  

Oxford Crown Court heard last year how Abubakar laundered almost £250,000 from drug dealing. He was jailed for more than five years.  

The officers were found guilty of gross misconduct and handed a five-year final written warning.  

A misconduct panel, chaired by barrister Harry Ireland, described the officers’ actions as ‘incompetent’ but ‘unintentional’. 

However, the officers were not helped by the custody sergeant suggesting Abubakar was ‘all mouth and no trousers.’  

But they should have been on high alert after PC Lawton was warned by another colleague of the potential escape risk.  

‘This should have alerted the officers to an increased risk and thus a change of tactics was required. This did not happen,’ Mr Ireland said.  

The officers ignored an instruction prohibiting use of mobile phones. 

Their actions risked damaging the reputation of the police and there was a danger that Abubakar could have continued dealing drugs while on the run, the hearing was told.  

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Source: Read Full Article