Prisoner who escaped from Loughan House is charged in Derry

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An escaped prisoner, arrested in Londonderry on Friday, has been charged with criminal damage.

Martin McDermott, 26, from Raphoe in County Donegal, was sentenced last July for seven years for the manslaughter of Garda Gary McLoughlin in 2009.

He escaped from Loughan House, an 'open' low-security prison, in County Cavan on Thursday.

He was also charged with three counts of assault on police, resisting arrest and disorderly behaviour.

He is due to appear in court in Londonderry on Saturday.

Earlier, the Republic's justice department confirmed it was seeking a full report.

A spokesperson for the Republic's justice department said it had been requested by the director general of the Irish Prison Service.

McDermott was arrested by the PSNI at around 11:00 GMT on Friday.

Police on both sides of the border had been alerted along with security staff at ports and airports.

He was eight months into his seven-year sentence.

McDermott had rammed a car into the 24-year-old garda's patrol car in County Donegal.

The garda died in hospital a day later from his injuries.

Loughan House is an open centre for the detention of male prisoners aged 18 years and over at Blacklion.

The facility is one of only two open centres in the Irish prison system.

According to Irish Prison Service Annual Report 2010, 45 prisoners absconded from Loughan that year, 34 were returned to custody.