A convicted robber awaiting deportation to Ghana is back on the run after escaping from police custody for the second time in just five days, sparking a fresh manhunt and a formal review by the Metropolitan Police.
Daniel Boakye, 21, a drill rapper from Enfield, north London, absconded from University Hospital Lewisham in southeast London on Sunday afternoon, shortly after 3 p.m. He was receiving medical treatment while under police guard when he managed to flee, triggering a chase through the hospital corridors that he ultimately evaded.
The dramatic escape comes less than a week after Boakye bolted from prison officers at West Middlesex University Hospital in Isleworth, west London, last Tuesday. He was rearrested the following day at an address in Thamesmead, southeast London. Following that arrest, four individuals—two women aged 20 and 51, a 17-year-old girl, and a 30-year-old man—were apprehended on suspicion of assisting an offender. They have since been released on bail.
Boakye is currently serving a six-year and five-month sentence, handed down in July 2023 for his role in a violent gang that targeted victims in a series of mobile phone robberies. The gang threatened their victims with knives to obtain phone passcodes before stealing approximately £115,000 in cryptocurrency from their devices. The crimes occurred between June 2021 and January 2022. His accomplices in the robberies were identified as Justin Popoola, Nathan Mohalland, and a 17-year-old who cannot be named for legal reasons. Detectives were able to track the gang after they used stolen bank details to order takeaways delivered to their own homes.
As a foreign national offender, Boakye had been referred to the Home Office for deportation to Ghana upon the completion of his sentence.
The Metropolitan Police have confirmed they are actively searching for the fugitive and have launched a review into the circumstances surrounding his second escape.
A force spokesperson renewed an appeal to the public for information. “Daniel Boakye was in police custody at the hospital receiving medical treatment when he fled. Officers gave chase but could not detain him before he left the building,” the spokesperson said.
Boakye is described as a black male of medium height with a slim build. At the time of his escape, he was wearing grey tracksuit bottoms and a dark Nike jacket.
Authorities are urging anyone who sees him or has information on his whereabouts not to approach him but to contact police immediately on 999, quoting reference CAD4005/15FEB. Information can also be provided anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
In response to the incident, a Home Office spokesperson reiterated the government’s stance on foreign national offenders. “All foreign national offenders who receive a prison sentence in the UK are referred for deportation at the earliest opportunity,” the spokesperson said. “We will not allow foreign criminals and illegal migrants to exploit our laws. We are reforming human rights laws and replacing the broken appeals system so we can scale up deportations.”
