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Murderer escapes by skin of his teeth

Rome: An Italian Mafioso has broken out of a high-security prison and clinched a place in criminal history by sawing through the bars of his cell using nothing but dental floss.

Vincenzo Curcio, convicted of one murder and arranging seven others, had discovered an astonishing secret at Vallette prison in Turin: its bars are made of ductile iron, which contains no carbon and is softer than steel or normal iron.

Officials explained that the prison was built in the 1970s, when fear of terrorists made it more important to design a building to withstand attack from outside, not from within.

The escape piled fresh embarrassment on a judicial system already reeling from blunders. An investigation is under way into how another Mafioso was able to set up a printing press in his cell to forge banknotes.

The one bright spot in a grim week for law enforcers was the capture of a dwarf contortionist who allegedly curled into a box, had himself delivered to a Rome post office, burst out, brandished a pistol and roared: "This is a hold-up."

Maurizio Cuseo, 47, was claimed to have escaped with $US72,000 ($120,600) and talked of becoming a legend, putting police under pressure to prove their efficiency. They held a press conference to announce his capture.

However, Vincenzo Curcio continues to floss at liberty.

The Guardian

Comment:
Posted to add some light relieve to the harrowing daily grind...dental floss puts a ping-n-ting on the ring of confidence...

Regards from a Southern Penal Colony

-- Pieter (zaadz@icisp.net.au), April 15, 2000