News / bristol crown court
Man facing jail escapes court and is on the run
A defendant who had just been sentenced to a spell in prison by a judge has escaped from Bristol Crown Court.
Police are now hunting for Damon Jefferies after his dramatic escape from the Small Street building.
The 32-year-old leapt from the dock, ran down four flights of stairs and was last seen heading towards Old Market.
He bolted after being jailed for six months by judge Euan Ambrose for breaching the terms of a suspended prison sentence.
Bristol Post court reporter Geoff Bennett witnessed the scene and said that in his 26 years as a journalist this is the first time that he has ever witnessed a defendant fleeing.
Writing in the Daily Mirror, Bennett quoted himself, saying: “I was doing a bit of work on my laptop on the press bench. I heard a commotion and before I knew it he had pelted to my left, crashing through the door.
“One security guard had been with him in the dock, but he was unable to detain him. The barrier of the dock was probably up to the defendant’s chest, but he was up and over in a flash.
“He left the courtroom like a bomb. He was pursued by the security guard while the clerk phoned down to the front door security.
“He was so quick getting down the stairs from the fourth floor to the ground floor that he managed to get down the stairs and get out.”
Jefferies is about 5ft 10ins tall, with short brown hair and blue eyes. He has a tattoo on his left arm of a bulldog and one of a woman on his right arm.
Police are advising anybody who does see him to call 999 immediately.
An HM Courts & Tribunals Service spokeswoman said: “Public protection is our priority and although incidents like this are extremely rare, all are taken seriously.
“A full investigation is underway and it would be inappropriate to comment further.”
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