Police recapture prisoner on the run (From Daily Echo)

Police recapture prisoner on the run

9:00am Sunday 12th July 2009 in

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POLICE have recaptured a prisoner with a history of violence who was wrongly released from court after pretending to be his brother.

Officers arrested Simon Peter Maclellan, 27, at an address in Fareham last night.

He was mistakenly set free by magistrates in Fareham on Friday.

Maclellan, who was being held on remand at Winchester prison over a serious assault, walked free from court when he pretended to be his brother, Mark, who is also at the prison for a less serious offence. The pair are non-identical twins.

Prison officials realised the wrong man had been released hours later and alerted police shortly after 9pm on Friday night.

Maclellan, originally from Gosport, is due to stand trial next month after being charged with grievous bodily harm following an alleged assault in Gosport in December last year.

A second man was arrested at the same address on suspicion of aiding and abetting an escape.

A 27-year-old man and a women in her 20s who were arrested earlier in connection with the same offence also remain in custody.