'Dangerous' prisoners escape court

David Taggart had admitted to killing retired museum worker

A self-confessed murderer is one of two men on the run after breaking free from cells in a County Down court house.

Three men overpowered a policeman in the cells of Downpatrick Court House just before 1400 BST on Thursday before making a run for freedom.

One of the men was apprehended inside the court house.

The police officer was taken to hospital, suffering from a head injury and shock.

The men then stole the car of a woman who had been shopping with her three-month-old girl near the St Patrick Centre in the town.

She is suffering from an arm injury and severe shock after being forced out of her car.

The men who escaped have been named by police as Ian Oliver Carlin, 31, from Ardglass, County Down and David Albert Taggart, 22, from Belfast.

Men escaped from Downpatrick Court House

Taggart is awaiting sentencing at Belfast Crown Court for the murder of retired Ulster Museum curator Lawrence Flanagan in April 2001. He has already admitted the murder.

He was appearing at Downpatrick Court on Thursday in connection with motoring offences.

Police have described the men as dangerous, and have warned the public not to approach them.

An eyewitness, who did not want to be named, said the men dragged the woman out of her car and threw her on the ground.

"The lady started screaming, 'My child, my child'.

"One of the other gentlemen grabbed the baby who was in the baby seat in the back and threw it out onto the ground," he said.

Manhunt

A senior police officer co-ordinating the hunt for the two prisoners said it was the biggest manhunt in which he had been involved.

Ian Carlin is on the run and described by police as 'dangerous'

District Commander Chief Superintendent Robbie Robinson said a massive internal investigation had been launched to find out what had happened.

He said the police officer who was overpowered had not been armed and the three prisoners were not handcuffed.

He revealed that the police officer had not been physically inside the cell when the situation developed.

He said that ferry terminals and ports as well as airports had been alerted, potential border crossings were being checked and Irish police, Garda Siochana, were co-operating with the search.