More than 100 mental patients escape from psychiatric hospitals in just one year

At least 116 patients broke out of secure psychiatric hospitals in England and Wales last year.

The figure was released under Freedom of Information rules and only relates to around 3,000 beds in NHS-run medium and low-security units.

It excludes any escapes from 2,000 more places in independently run units.

There were no escapes from the maximum security hospitals at Broadmoor, Rampton and Ashworth.

The Department of Health said four of the escapees remained at large, but could not supply escape figures from previous years, or say how many of the 116 went on to commit crimes.

Marjorie Wallace, chief executive of the mental health charity Sane, said the figure of 116 escapes was 'probably low'.

She said: 'We are aware of many cases where patients have been allowed to 'go missing', despite being detained under the Mental Health Act, without assessment or follow-up and with unacceptable delays in the patient being searched for or found.'

Darren Harkin, 21, was able to escape from the low-security Hayes Hospital near Bristol in February, before going on to rape the 14-year-old girl.

Other recent cases involving the same hospital include serial sex attacker Tamer Mahmoud, who was allowed to visit St Werburghs City Farm in Bristol - popular with families and schoolchildren - without staff there being told of his background.

He absconded and went on the run for 17 hours.

Another patient was allowed to drink at a local pub each week under supervision, until he became aggressive.

Tory health spokesman Anne Milton said: 'It's extremely worrying that there were so many escapes last year.

'The Government has let down both mental health patients and the public at large.'

Escape figures in full

The breakdown of figures for 116 escapes from low and medium secure units according to the BBC report are:

Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust - 2

Birmingham & Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust - 1

Bradford District Care Trust - 1

Calderstones NHS Trust - 23

Derbyshire Mental Health Services NHS Trust - 1

Devon Partnership NHS Trust - 1

North Essex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust - 3

South Essex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust - 1

Hampshire Partnership NHS Trust - 13

Herefordshire Primary Care Trust - 1

Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust - 1

Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust - 1

Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust - 4

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust - 2

West London Mental Health NHS Trust - 10

Greater Manchester West Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust - 1

Mersey Care NHS Trust - 15

Norfolk & Waveney Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust - 1

Northumberland Tyne and Wear NHS Trust - 6

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust - 11

Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust - 1

Suffolk Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust - 1

Sussex Partnership - 11

Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust - 1

South West Yorkshire Mental Health NHS Trust - 2

Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust - 1