A mafia boss has broken out of a Sardinian prison using a rudimentary method of escape.

Marco Raduano, known as “Pallone”, fled from the high-security Badu ‘e Carros Prison in Nuoro, to the east of the island, on Saturday morning.

The 39-year-old somehow procured a key for the prison’s courtyard, then scrambled down the exterior wall using several knotted bed sheets.

The Puglia boss dropped from a height onto some grass to make a getaway two hours before guards awoke to discover he had escaped.

Read more:
Paul Robson: Sex offender escaped from prison
Who is mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro?

Raduano, a member of the Gargano Mafia serving 19 years for mafia crimes, was due to be released in 2046 according to the Italian paper, Il Messaggero.

General secretary Giovanni Villa told the paper: “For months we have been denouncing the lack of staff and this is the main factor that has compromised security in the Nuoro prison.”

Mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro: Godfather and Joker posters found in apartment used by him before his arrest

Matteo Messina Denaro: Man whose identity was used by prolific mafia boss arrested in Sicily

How to catch a Mafia boss – by a woman who does it

Giovanni Conteddu of the prison’s union chapter said: “It was going to happen sooner or later, the prison is full of holes.”

Meanwhile, deputy justice minister Francesco Paolo Sisto said that “it was a very well-prepared escape”.

Be the first to get Breaking News

Install the Sky News app for free

A manhunt was launched in Sardinia following his escape and an inspection of the Badu ‘e Carros Prison is to be carried out, according to Mr Sisto.

The escape comes a couple of months after the “last godfather” of mafia bosses, Matteo Messina Denaro, was caught and arrested after 23 years on the run.

Related posts:

Thousands flee ash-covered communities after St Vincent volcano eruption British soldiers rush to aid baby in blistering heat at Kabul airport China will allow couples to have three children as concern grows over aging population and low birth rate Haiti quake deaths surpass 2,000 as tensions grow over slow pace of aid Serbians block roads in Kosovo in protest over license plate restrictions Dubai ruler ordered to pay record-breaking divorce settlement to ex-wife – including upkeep of UK mansions Brigitte Macron: France’s first lady ‘to sue over false Twitter rumours she was a man’ Germany to limit private gatherings among vaccinated to a maximum of 10 people in bid to tackle COVID spread Nearly 100,000 back campaign to free British geologist facing death penalty in Iraq Lebanon banks held up by customers trying to draw their own money Football teams face punishment for playing after Queen’s death Uzbekistan links 18 child deaths to cough syrup from India