Updated 1.40pm

Fourteen migrants who escaped from Safi detention centre last night and were re-arrested a few hours later, were taken to court this afternoon and jailed for eight months.

Another five remain on the run.

The 19 men are believed to have escaped at about 2am. The circumstances of the escape are unclear but they are believed to have damaged a fence. A magisterial inquiry is under way.

The migrants were taken to court in a police bus, handcuffed in pairs.

They were accused of escaping detention and damaging public property. All pleaded guilty and were sentenced to eight months imprisonment, effective immediately.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.