Ryan Wennekes: escaped prisoner in Goulburn charged with attempted car theft

The prisoner who escaped from Goulburn Correctional Centre tried to steal a getaway car while its owner was still inside.

A prisoner who escaped from the Goulburn Correctional Centre last month has admitted to trying to steal a getaway car with its owner still inside.

Ryan Antonius Wennekes-Wright, 29, appeared in Goulburn Local Court on Wednesday via video link to plead guilty to inmate escape from lawful custody, attempt to unlawfully take motor vehicle with person in it, and assault with intent to take/drive motor vehicle.

The Batehaven resident was serving a three-year prison sentence for domestic violence offences when he escaped from the minimum-security Goulburn facility on Thursday July 15.

Corrective Services confirmed the prisoner had been working with minimal supervision on an inmate worksite behind the main building when he managed to escape.

Ryan Wennekes was missing from a Goulburn correctional centre. Picture: NSW Police

Police told the public Wennekes-Wright had last been seen near the Old Mulwaree Bridge in Goulburn when they issued a public alert at 3.30pm. They recaptured Wennekes-Wright four hours later at Goulburn Railway Station where he was waiting for a train.

In court on Wednesday, Wennekes-Wright admitted to trying to steal a getaway car while the owner was still inside. He also pleaded guilty to assaulting the victim with the intention of taking his car and furthering his escape.

Bail was refused for Wennekes-Wright, who admitted to escaping from custody at the Goulburn facility. He will appear in Goulburn Local Court on September 29 to learn his sentence.

Since his escape, Corrective Services confirmed Wennekes-Wright’s security level has increased.