A prisoner who famously escaped from Casemates in the 1980s has urged Alvone Maybury to turn himself in before Police find him. The man, who didn't want his identity revealed, believes Maybury will be caught "eventually" and should surrender.

He also said he doesn't believe Maybury is trying to leave the Island because he claimed to know when anyone escaped.

Maybury made headlines around the world last Tuesday, running away from two prison guards as they escorted him out of Magistrates' Court.

The 24-year-old had that morning been charged with possessing a gun and ammunition, and firing a weapon in Pembroke last December.

One guard gave chase, but Maybury disappeared into the back of town.

The former convict told this newspaper he knew what Maybury was up against, having managed a similar feat.

"How is this guy going to get out of Bermuda? Does he sail?" the man asked.

"My mindset was, at the time that I escaped, it was to get out of Bermuda. Is he willing to hold someone hostage? If someone's willing to take someone out on a boat it's going to cost a lot."

The man claimed he'd once been offered $30,000 to help a Canadian up on drug charges escape. "I bet he hasn't made any plans to escape. He's just trying to taunt the authorities. The longest he can stay out it depends on his support group. If he looks for an agent I will know who he is."

Because Maybury is up on gun charges he might find people are less willing to help him than he'd hoped, the man added.

"The Police may have orders to kill him. They may think he has access to guns. He may be more scared of getting caught than surrendering. They had orders to shoot me on sight the prison officers told me that. It seems like they get offended when somebody escapes; they take it personally. When I escaped I wasn't scared."

In the days following his escape, several posts appeared on Maybury's Facebook account. In them, he bragged of eating KFC, playing video games and having a sexual liaison with a woman.

Yesterday the man said: "He will eventually get caught. He is acting like a celebrity who wants to get caught, otherwise he would keep himself undercover.

"He wants to go back to jail and be a big guy."

If Maybury is serious about not being caught he needs to leave Bermuda, the man added.

"If I was him, I would try to get out of the Island as soon as I could arrange it... [However] it's hard to hide anywhere in the world. Everybody gets caught eventually. Even if he goes to another country. There's no way out of it he gets caught or surrenders.

"If you surrender you need to have a lawyer. If you're going to surrender you have got to do it with a politician or a lawyer. If they just catch him out in the street, the Police are going to get nasty. Eventually, he will be caught."