Police attached to the Orana Mid-Western district will investigate the circumstances that saw an apprehended man walk free from Dubbo Hospital on Thursday morning.
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Benjamin Biffin, 37, led police on a wild pursuit from Dubbo down to Mudgee after absconding from the hospital and stealing a vehicle from the nearby Charles Sturt University campus.
More than a dozen police units, including two Polair helicopters, were involved in the pursuit and subsequent foot search, with reports that at one stage Biffin drove the stolen Ford Ranger directly at vehicles after being cornered in a paddock.
Two warrants were out for him when he was initially arrested on Wednesday evening after a separate chase with police, and taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
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Paul Robert Johnson was in the vehicle at the time, with the pair both kept under guard after being transported to the medical facility
But just how he managed to leave the hospital will be the subject of a review.
“We are looking at the circumstances of how he made good his escape from the hospital yesterday morning,” Orana Mid-Western investigations manager Detective Sergeant Mark Meredith said.
“In relation to that we’ll be looking at all our protocol - our own in the police, discussing and communicating facts with hospital and correctives staff - and that aspect is under investigation.
“But at this stage he’s still wanted by police and the original matters are still outstanding.
“Ben Biffin is a high-risk offender, and he’s not to be approached by members of the public.
“If he is sighted by all means ring Triple 0 or local police and alert us to any information in relation to whereabouts and who he may be with, or vehicles that he may be driving.
“We believe he is still in the Mudgee area and we’re looking at aspects of Mudgee and that area that was saturated by police yesterday.”
At the time of going to press Biffin had not been apprehended, with police of the belief he is being harbored by friends or relatives.