Prisoners botch escape bid
Two New Zealand prisoners, who were handcuffed together as they ran from a courthouse, foiled their own getaway when they went on opposite sides of a light pole, slammed into each other and fell to the ground.
Jailers recaptured them as they struggled to their feet.
Their adventure on Wednesday was captured by a CCTV camera at the court on New Zealand's North Island. The footage shows the two men trying to make a break for it -- but apparently forgetting they were joined at the wrist.
A police representative said one inmate had just been sent to prison for more than two years after being convicted of assault and the other was in custody for allegedly stealing a car and violating parole.
"As they were being led from the police cells ... they made a bolt for freedom,"
"They fell over and they were sprayed with pepper spray. But they got up and ran out of the court onto the street, across the road to a car park," he said. "That's where they met the pole -- it was all over, rover."
The pair were back in court Thursday, facing new charges of escaping from custody.
Footage of the escapade shown on TV was billed as "one of the worst escape attempts ever seen."
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