On-the-run murderer recaptured after escaping from prison in Dordogne

A murderer who escaped from prison in Dordogne two days ago has been arrested in Nice.

Philippe Dubois, 54, escaped Mauzac prison in Dordogne on March 13. He was found and detained early this morning (March 15) and is now being held in custody in Nice.

In a press release, the Bergerac prosecutor said the man was found after a member of the public recognised him and tipped off authorities. Dubois was then followed by CCTV cameras and arrested at a location close to his father’s house.

Dubois was found guilty of kidnapping and killing landlady Francine Véran-Raspini, 72, and her son Marc, for money in 2002.

Originally given life imprisonment, Dubois had his sentence reduced to 28 years after a 2008 appeal. However, he had been due to be released from prison in just three years.

He escaped during the afternoon while taking part in a gardening training session at the prison.

In a statement, the Bergerac prosecutor Sylvie Martin-Guedes said: “This training consists of horticultural work carried out in an area located on the prison grounds, but outside the secure and closed area of the prison. Prisoners go and work there under the supervision of prison officers.”

Dubois was transferred to the Mauzac prison in September 2022. It is one of only two semi-open prisons in France.

It specialises in housing male prisoners convicted of serious offences, but who are coming to the end of their sentences. It emphasises rehabilitation and reassimilation into society and is laid out like a small village, rather than a traditional detention centre.

Dubois had tried to escape once before. Investigators in Nice now have 48 hours to ascertain how he managed to abscond, and if he was helped by anyone else.

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