A convicted robber who managed to escape lawful custody twice within a matter of days before fleeing to France has been handed an additional prison sentence. Daniel Boakye, 21, who performs under the rap name Dsavv, was sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court after admitting two counts of escaping lawful custody. The court heard that his dramatic attempts to evade authorities sparked an international manhunt before he was eventually located and arrested in Brittany, France.

At the time of the escapes, Boakye was serving a six-year sentence at HMP Feltham for his involvement in a gang robbery in which victims were threatened with knives and more than £115,000 worth of cryptocurrency was stolen.

His first escape took place in the early hours of February 10 after he was taken from prison to West Middlesex University Hospital amid concerns that he had swallowed pills. While under guard, Boakye requested to use the toilet and was fitted with longer-chain escort handcuffs intended to provide greater privacy.

Once inside the bathroom, however, he managed to free himself from the restraints. Concealing his wrist beneath a blanket, he fled the hospital and disappeared. Two prison officers pursued him through the car park and along nearby roads but were unable to catch him.

Police tracked him down the following day at a property in Thamesmead, where he was reportedly seen attempting to climb over a garden fence. He was arrested and returned to custody, but his freedom was short-lived.

Just four days later, Boakye escaped again while being treated at Lewisham Hospital. After reportedly swallowing several packages of drugs, he told officers he was experiencing vision problems and seeing multiple versions of them. Medical staff arranged for him to undergo an X-ray, and officers transported him in a wheelchair without handcuffs, believing this was the safest option.

As he was being taken back to his hospital bed, Boakye suddenly jumped from the wheelchair, ran down a staircase, and escaped through the hospital car park. Despite extensive CCTV enquiries and search efforts, authorities were unable to locate him.

During his time on the run, Boakye appeared to mock law enforcement in a rap video posted online. The track referenced his escape and included lyrics comparing his actions to a character from the television drama Top Boy. The video also featured references to luxury lifestyles, cannabis use, and life outside prison.

With local searches proving unsuccessful, police escalated efforts to locate him. An Interpol Red Notice was eventually issued, leading to his arrest on March 3 in the French town of La Bouëxière. Prosecutors told the court that investigators still do not know how Boakye travelled from the UK to France, as there is no official record of his departure from the country.

Eric Jeffrey, prosecuting, said police had only limited information regarding Boakye’s journey and could not establish how he crossed international borders before his arrest.

The court also heard that Boakye has a significant criminal history, including 19 previous offences involving robbery and possession of a knife.

In mitigation, defence barrister Paula Bignall explained that Boakye had lived in the UK since the age of six and had spent part of his childhood in the care system. She said he was remorseful for his actions and had been struggling with the possibility of deportation to Ghana, a country where he has no immediate family.

Boakye had been due to attend a parole hearing and was simultaneously challenging a deportation order. According to the defence, difficulties obtaining legal representation left him feeling overwhelmed and desperate. In a letter to the court, he stated that he travelled to France because he had relatives living there.

Sentencing, Judge Charlotte Welsh acknowledged the difficult circumstances Boakye had faced while growing up and noted that criminal gangs had exploited his vulnerability during his youth. However, she stressed that his actions had created a clear risk to public safety.

While recognising the pressure he had been under, the judge concluded that it could not justify his repeated escapes from custody. Boakye was sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment, to be served consecutively to the sentence he is already serving for robbery offences.

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