A Canberra prisoner who fled and assaulted a corrective services officer after his parole was revoked lashed out because he was desperate to avoid more time behind bars, a court has heard.
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The violent scuffle broke out after Stanley Shane Connors, 22, found out he would be sent back to jail for breaching his parole when he appeared before the sentence administration board in the ACT Magistrates Court on November 1 last year.
Connors pushed officers away as he was led away from the courtroom before he wrapped his arms around the neck and throat of one guard, the court heard on Tuesday.
He then fled towards an exit before he was tackled by nearby police. He struggled and refused to be handcuffed before officers restrained him.
Connors was arrested and later pleaded guilty to common assault, attempting to escape custody and three offences of obstructing a public official.
Prosecutors said Connors, who was on parole for aggravated burglary at the time of the attack, had a poor record of breaching court orders.
But his Aboriginal Legal Service lawyer said he had panicked and felt he had nowhere else to go when he committed the "foolish act".
"He was a young man desperate because he realised he was going back to prison," she said.
Connors, who was one of 12 children, had been exposed to violence and alcohol use from an early age during his "pretty appalling start to life", she said.
He risked becoming institutionalised and, given he was a young man with a long life ahead of him, an opportunity at rehabilitation should weigh heavily on any sentence imposed, the court was told.
In sentencing Connors, Magistrate Peter Morrison said he took into account the offender's extensive criminal history, poor compliance with court orders, past drug use and a gambling habit.
He also acknowledged his "difficult and deprived background" and positive employment prospects given his experience in the building industry.
Mr Morrison sentenced Connors to six months imprisonment, added on to his existing jail term, to start from June this year.
He quoted from a letter Connors had written to the court for sentencing proceedings, in which he'd said he realised it was time for him to accept his past, take control, and "realise what life's about".
"You need to take your own advice," Mr Morrison said.
Connors will be eligible for parole next week.
