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| - Peter Madsen, serving a life sentence in Denmark for the grisly murder of a journalist aboard his homemade submarine, was sentenced Tuesday to another 21 months behind bars for a brief jailbreak last year. The Glostrup district court convicted Madsen, 50, of "escaping from the prison where he was being held and having threatened prison staff, police officers and a motorist," Danish police said in a statement. In October, Madsen managed to break out of the high-security Herstedvester prison in a Copenhagen suburb where he had been held since being found guilty of the 2017 murder of 30-year-old Kim Wall of Sweden. Madsen was on the run for only six minutes before police caught up with him and a standoff ensued, but he had been preparing his escape since March or April, prosecutor Rasmus Kim Petersen told the court on Tuesday. The convicted killer had managed to print out maps of the local area with the help of unsuspecting guards. He also made fake weapons in the prison woodworking shop, including a phony gun, which he used to threaten several people. He had planned to steal several vehicles during his flight, Petersen said. "I just wanted to play a role in society again," the hobby inventor told the judge, local media reported. Madsen's new prison sentence could have an impact on his chances of an early release, which he can apply for in 2030. "At that point, the prosecution's evaluation will depend largely on whether the inmate has committed another crime during his sentence. As a result, today's verdict could play a large role in his life sentence," the prosecutor said. According to Denmark's justice ministry, Madsen's escape -- during which he threatened a total of eight people -- illustrated gaping security flaws at several prisons. The country has since beefed up security measures at its penitentiaries and unveiled a national action plan which includes inspections at all prisons, among other things. Madsen is now being held in another, undisclosed facility. cbw/po/gd
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