Police recapture Lockridge escapee
WA Police have captured one of two fugitives who escaped from a secure mental health facility.
The man was arrested at about 11.20pm last night and returned to the Bennett Brook Disability Justice Centre in Lockridge.
Police are continuing the search for the second person.
The men, believed to be aged 27 and 28, escaped at about 7.30pm on New Year’s Eve by climbing over a wall.
One of the men is an alleged sex offender and the other is accused of killing a man by driving dangerously.
They were being detained at the Lockridge facility after they were found mentally unfit to stand trial.
The centre was controversial when it opened in August 2015 because local residents feared an escape could put their children at risk.
“It’s not good enough,” said one Lockridge resident, Chris May.
“This secret squirrel stuff has to stop, the public needs to know.”
Disability Services Minister Helen Morton said immediate steps had been taken to increase supervision of residents at the centre and an urgent review of perimeter security was being undertaken.
Police have asked for anyone with information to contact them on 131 444.
