An ingenious London criminal orchestrated his own prison break by sending a fake email from court officials with instructions to set him free, the BBC reported.
Neil Moore, who was already facing several charges for fraud, was being held at London's Wandsworth Prison in March 2014 when he illegitimately obtained a cellphone and used it to create a fake email account from the Royal Courts of Justice- complete with real names and contact address- according to evidence presented at his recent trial.
The 28-year-old sent an email to the prison's official custody inbox with instructions to release him on bail. Staff released Moore on March 10, according to the BBC.
Officials at his trial in Southwark Crown Court called Moore's alleged ruse criminally "ingenious."
"A lot of criminal ingenuity harbors in the mind of Mr. Moore," prosecutor Ian Paton said according to the BBC. "The case is one of extraordinary criminal inventiveness, deviousness and creativity, all apparently the developed expertise of this defendant."
It wasn't until three days later when officials went to interview Moore in prison that his scam was uncovered. He eventually turned himself in.
At the time of the incident Moore was facing eight counts of fraud involving over $1 million he allegedly swindled from large companies while posing as an employee at several banks.
When victims would call, Moore pretended to switch them over to a female colleague and carried on the conversation using a woman's voice, according to the BBC.
Moore pleaded guilty to all fraud counts and one count of escape from lawful custody. His sentencing is scheduled April 20.
