Jail for impulse escape
THE temptation to escape prison proved too much to resist for one inmate who saw his golden opportunity to get out – by using a car left running by a guard.
Jamie Lee Roberts, 28, was accompanied by officers when he appeared in Townsville Magistrates Court for his sentencing over his March 6 escape from the low security prison farm.
He pleaded guilty to counts of escape by persons in lawful custody, two counts of unlawful use of a motor vehicle and a single count of wilful damage.
Prosecutor Nathan Smith told the court that the guard had parked in front of an administration office on site, and parked the car with the keys in the ignition before leaving the vehicle and chatting with Roberts who was standing nearby.
It was when the guard walked away that Roberts jumped in the car and drove away.
Magistrate Ross Mack was shocked that a guard would leave a car running and unattended.
“What, so he drives up, in a car, engine still running and keys in it – and chats to the fella doing four-and-a-half years for burglary, leaves the key in the car and goes into another place?” Mr Mack said.
An hour later, Roberts stole another vehicle from Railway Estate.
Five days later on March 11, Roberts stole a car from a Jensen property at 10pm, but he didn’t get very far.
After ramming a set of gates to get out, he crashed the stolen car into a tree 30m from the gate.
Roberts was jammed inside the car when the owner of the car arrived and armed themselves with a pipe before police arrived.
His lawyer said her client had been in custody “almost continually” since 2015 and suffered an addiction to drugs.
She added that despite being granted parole in December 2021, had been brought back into custody on “suspicion” he may commit a further offence, on the basis he did not have “secure accommodation”.
She said Roberts’ attempts to keep a job had been hindered by a curfew condition as part of his parole, and that he would “never” go back to the farm.
He was sentenced to two years jail with parole eligibility set at July 25, 2023.