Escapee returned to Limerick Prison after turning himself in

Limerick man Jason Frayne who was on the run for six days has handed himself in to the authorities, going directly to Limerick Prison to return to custody on Monday evening.

Prison sources told the Limerick Leader that when he returned to the Mulgrave Street jail at approximately 7pm and that a number of prohibited items, including a mobile phone, were found concealed on him during a search. These items were seized by gardaí.

It is understood that he may face additional charges in relation to absconding and the items found.

Frayne's Facebook account also appeared to be active since his escape from custody, with one friend posting a picture of the film Catch Me If You Can, starring Leonardo DiCaprio to his page, urging him to watch it.

On Thursday last, he also wrote online: “Who else is out today haha” and has also posted new pictures of himself. Several friends have also described him as a “legend” and “gas” since his quick-footed manoeuvre.

Gardaí said they were not aware if Frayne had a phone or money on him when he fled the scene from Ennis District Court on Wednesday last.

Frayne made a break for freedom through a back door of the courthouse, after he and another inmate were provided with food at around 3.15pm.

Both had their cases dealt with and were being returned to the prison cells when they escaped.

Keith Garrihy (18) from Beechgrove in Newmarket on Fergus, was recaptured just outside Clarecastle a short time later.

Criminal gang

However, Frayne, who was previously described by gardaí as an “associate with a northside criminal gang, with access to firearms and a large amount of cash”, remained at large.

At Ennis District Court, Frayne, who has 46 previous convictions, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and the unauthorised taking of a vehicle on April 19th, 2015. Judge Patrick Durcan adjourned sentencing to a later date.

He has also been charged with other serious offences in Limerick in recent times but has yet to be convicted.

In February of this year he received a four-month prison sentence suspended for two years on his own bond after he picked up a wheelchair and threw it at the glass partition of the receptionist’s area of the University Hospital in Limerick.

He claimed he was waiting 11 hours to be seen in the hospital, after he was “pricked by a needle by someone who had just shot up heroin, and he believed he was carrying numerous diseases”.

Frayne was also due to appear before Limerick District Court on Thursday morning last, but Judge Mary Larkin heard that there was no appearance and was asked by his solicitor and Inspector Ronan McDonagh to adjourn the matter generally.