On Wednesday, an inmate at the Norwegian jail of Bastøy escaped the island facility using only a toy spade and surfboard.
The prisoner reportedly used the spade as a paddle to navigate approximately 3km to a nearby shore. According to thelocal.no, the man was serving a sentence for rape and narcotics.
However, the prison in question sounds nothing like Shawshank. Actually, the Norwegian penitentiary sounds pretty damn cushy.
“Prisoners’ rooms are unlocked, their windows are without bars, and outdoor pursuits such as horseback riding, fishing, tennis, and cross-country skiing are laid on.”– thelocal.no
During an interview with VG news, prison manager Tom Eberhardt said, “It is not very difficult to get away from Bastøy, and it happens fortunately very rarely,” to which he added, “But we are concerned about security, partly because we are on an island and want to prevent people getting killed as they attempt to escape.”
The prisoner remains missing and the only clue to his whereabouts is the surfboard, which was recovered on the shores of the Norwegian town of Horten. If found, the inmate will be relocated to a more traditional prison.