16 Most Notorious Prison Breaks That Ever Happened

The international prison system apparently isn't quite as infallible as you might wish, considering the number of genuine animals locked behind bars across the globe. Even the most notorious of prisons - including Alcatraz and Colditz - were breached at times, and the number of successful escape attempts is worryingly high: it seems no year can go by without someone testing for weaknesses like the Raptors in Jurassic Park. Thankfully the majority of prison escapes end up being foiled with days or even hours, but such is the culture of anti-heroism that seems to spring up around escape attempts (by even the most nefarious criminals), some escapees have become more famous for their attempts than for their actual crimes. It seems everyone loves an underdog, and with the odds stacked ever against them, these cut-throat daredevils seem to capture the hearts and minds (even if it's just morbid intrigue) of the normal folk glued to the news reports. And of course there are some escapees who genuinely do deserve to be classed as heroes, including one group who inspired one of the most enduringly adored films of all time...

The Red Baron Of Dope Smuggling "Barry Dennis" (not his real name), somehow managed to escape a Mexican jail 15 months into his sentence for drug smuggling despite being on crutches, suffering from malnutrition and having no money. His exploits were later labelled The Handicapped Escape.