Gormley pleads guilty in jailbreak

A P.E.I. man who escaped from custody in New Brunswick last month pleaded guilty in a Moncton courtroom Tuesday to being unlawfully at large.

Gary Gormley escaped from the minimum security Westmorland Institution on Sept. 6 and was on the loose for 11 days until he turned himself in to police on P.E.I.He was serving a life sentence for second-degree murder for the beating and strangling death of Clifford McIver in Charlottetown in 1995.

Gormley has already pleaded guilty to a charge of break, enter and theft of a vehicle while on the loose in Charlottetown, and was sentenced to three months.

Tuesday's conviction could add significantly to the time before Gormley is eligible for parole. He had been eligible in March, but waived a right to a hearing, saying he wasn't ready for release.

The escape could mean an additional five to 10 years. Gormley will be sentenced Tuesday, Oct. 16.