TWO detainees broke free of their guards and made a botched attempt to flee from the Subordinate Courts at lunchtime on Wednesday.

One man, described by eyewitnesses as heavyset, did not even make it out of the building at all.

The bare-bodied man was pinned down by police officers near the security checkpoint where visitors are screened.

The other man, of medium build, bolted but managed to get as far as the driveway near Furama Hotel, about 100m away, before he was caught.

As he was brought back to the building surrounded by more than 10 officers, the man, who sported a goatee and had his hair tied in a short ponytail, shouted at a Straits Times photographer in English for taking his picture.

He was wearing the white T-shirt and brown trousers issued to remand prisoners. The other man, while shirtless, wore the same trousers.

According to eyewitnesses accounts, both men were not handcuffed when they tried to make a break for it.

The entire incident, from the initial commotion to the second man's capture, took place in under five minutes.

Read the full story in Thursday's edition of The Straits Times.