Prisoner escapes from Tallaght hospital after stabbing two officers

A prisoner has escaped from Tallaght hospital after stabbing two prison officers.

A manhunt is underway after two prison officers were stabbed by a prisoner who escaped from custody while being treated at Tallaght hospital in Dublin.

One prison officer is undergoing emergency surgery following the incident.

The prisoner has been named as 53-year-old Derek Brockwell, who has been described as one of Britain's most wanted individuals.

He was driven away from the hospital on a waiting motorbike.

Brockwell was serving a seven-year sentence in Portlaoise Prison for armed robbery.

At 3pm this afternoon he was taken to Tallaght Hospital for treatment, when an incident occurred during which he escaped from custody and two prison officers were injured.

It is understood one officer was stabbed in the stomach, and the other in the arm. One officer is undergoing surgery at Tallaght hospital for his injuries.

Gardaí have launched a hunt for Brockwell, who is described as being 6'03'' tall with brown hair and has a broad build.

The serial criminal was two years into a seven-year sentence for armed robbery after he admitted holding up the Bank of Ireland in Blackrock, south Dublin, in October 2012.

He was also convicted of robbing a post office and a bookmakers as well as for firearms offences in the Irish capital.

Brockwell landed in Ireland after failing to return to Kirkham Prison in England, where he was serving life for a series of offences but had been allowed out on day release for a work scheme.

He had carried out armed robberies on betting shops in London’s Marylebone and Paddington areas during September and October 1999.

Deputy General Secretary of the Prison Officers Association Jim Mitchell has called for an inquiry into why such a dangerous prisoner was accompanied by only two officers.

"We're calling for an investigation immediately," he said, "to see what kind of security precautions were taken on such a high-profile prisoner, and given the background of the prisoner, how there was only two prison officers and one driver on that escort."

Anyone with information is asked to contact Tallaght Garda Station, the Garda Confidential Telephone Line 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station.