Security guards tag criminal's false leg

Two members of staff at a private security firm have been sacked after they put an electronic tag on an offender's false leg, allowing him to remove it. Christopher Lowcock, 29, wrapped his prosthetic limb in a bandage and fooled G4S staff when they set up the tag and monitoring equipment at his Rochdale home.

Lowcock could then simply remove his leg – and the tag – whenever he wanted to breach his court-imposed curfew for driving and drug offences, as well as possession of an offensive weapon.

A second G4S officer who went to check monitoring equipment also failed to spot the deceit. Managers became suspicious last month, but when they returned to the address a third time Lowcock had already been arrested and was back in custody accused of driving while banned and without insurance.

G4S, which runs private prisons, will run Birmingham prison when it becomes the first to be transferred from the public to the private sector in October. PA