A convicted burglar has made a daring escape from custody, running out of a courtroom after being handed a sentence of full-time imprisonment.
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Nec Angel Gorman, 25, faced and then escaped the ACT Supreme Court on Monday afternoon following his sentencing by Acting Justice Richard Refshauge.
After the judge adjourned to his chambers about 4pm and before the man could be taken back into cells, he bolted from the court, evading the capture of two ACT Corrective Services officers.
He escaped the courts by running out through side doors which are locked from the outside, wearing a grey jumper, polo shirt and tracksuit pants common for detainees of the Alexander Maconochie Centre.
Gorman was last seen heading into Civic wearing socks after losing a pair of sandals in the courtroom while escaping.
Police officers were also seen heading in the same direction after the offender.
The man was handed a total full-time jail sentence of three years and five months on Monday, with a non-parole period of 22 months relating to 12 charges.
They included burglary, dishonestly taking a motor vehicle without consent, attempted arson and two counts of dangerous driving.
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The series of offending took place on October 5, 2022, starting when Gorman and another man posed as solar panel salesmen door knocking in the suburb of Bruce.
He would enter a home, stealing a wallet and car keys, before driving off with a stolen white Toyota Land Cruiser.
Agreed facts state he then rammed that car into four other motor vehicles while driving before eventually parking the damaged Toyota outside a church and finding a jerry can filled with fuel.
"I'm going to torch the car," Gorman told a parishioner.
He was asked to leave the church and did so without lighting the stolen car on fire.
If the offender had not escaped custody on Monday, he would have been eligible for parole in August 2024.
Gorman is described as Caucasian in appearance, with a slim build and short dark hair.
Members of the public are urged not to approach Gorman, but to contact ACT Policing operations on 131 444 (please quote reference 7449627) to report any information regarding his whereabouts.
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Tim Piccione
Tim is a journalist with the Canberra Times covering the ACT courts. He came to the nation's capital via the Daily Advertiser in Wagga. Contact: tim.piccione@canberratimes.com.au.
Tim is a journalist with the Canberra Times covering the ACT courts. He came to the nation's capital via the Daily Advertiser in Wagga. Contact: tim.piccione@canberratimes.com.au.
