Sean Alonti: Coonabarabran man sentenced after using cigarette break to escape police

A magistrate has issued a stern warning to a Coonabarabran man who used a cigarette break to escape police custody, resulting in a police hunt. Here’s what happened in court.

A Coonabarabran man abused his “smoking privileges” by escaping from the police.

A Coonabarabran man jumped a fence and escaped from the local police station after being granted “smoking privileges”.

Sean Alonti pleaded guilty to escaping police custody after the incident on January 25 at Coonabarabran police station.

Agreed police facts tendered to Dubbo Local Court state Alonti was in police custody for alleged domestic violence, breaking and entering and breaching bail offences.

Alonti is yet to enter pleas to these offences with the matters returning to court on February 24.

According to the facts, Mr Alonti requested to have a cigarette and was seen to move underneath the CCTV camera at 4.10pm on January 25.

The facts state the police believe that he “more than likely” climbed on an airconditioning unit and used it to scale the fence in between two buildings.

Police conducted an extensive search of the Coonabarabran CBD and eventually tracked him down on the Australia Day public holiday.

Alonti was sentenced at Dubbo Local Court.

At Dubbo Local Court on January 27, police prosecutor Ben Bragger said Alonti was given a “privilege” and “managed to get away from police”.

He said police had to use their “public holiday period to find him” and use law enforcement when “they had other things to do”.

Alonti’s solicitor Naadirah Sathar said her client had a “complex” upbringing with his parents splitting up when he was a baby.

“His stepfather used to beat his mother and she would eventually go back to him,” Sathar said.

“He was a witness to domestic violence.”

She said Alonti’s troubled childhood resulted in him experimenting with drugs at the age of 13 which escalated to intense abuse.

Ms Sathar claimed Alonti had “deep psychological issues” and was diagnosed with schizophrenia at a mental health unit in Newcastle.

She added that her client’s escape was “below mid-range offending” and a “shorter sentence would be approved”.

Magistrate Gary Wilson reminded Alonti that he “took advantage of being given a privilege” and the crime carries a “maximum sentence of two years in prison”.

“A message must be sent to yourself, the general population and potential inmates in trying to escape and proceeding to escape can’t be tolerated,” Mr Wilson said.

Mr Wilson sentenced Alonti to five months jail to expire on June 23.