A prisoner who escaped from hospital, stole clothes, caught an Uber before arrest at Target
In a bizarre escape which lasted for only an hour, prisoner James Tozer fled through suburban homes and stole a shirt and shorts before catching an Uber — but it didn’t end there.
Newcastle
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A prisoner was “not in the right frame of mind” after having suffered a serious assault in jail, when he escaped from the John Hunter Hospital, a court has heard.
James Tozer, 35, sparked a massive police operation, which included POLair and the dog squad, when he made the “spontaneous” decision to abscond from Corrective Service officers while he was being treated.
In a period of about an hour, Tozer fled through numerous properties in New Lambton Heights and stole a Levi stripped polo shirt and navy blue shorts to change from his green prison clothes.
He told one resident who was standing out the front of his house, he had been lost in the bush, and he let him use the toilet and his phone where Tozer called a number of family members.
The resident then ordered him an Uber which dropped him at Kotara Westfield.
But his plan was foiled when the Uber driver saw the news of the escape on Facebook and contacted police, before staff at Westfield tracked him on security footage and officers finally swooped on him in Target.
In Newcastle Local Court on Friday, Tozer pleaded guilty to escape lawful custody, enter prescribed premises of person without lawful excuse, and larceny.
A legal aid solicitor said Tozer had been taken to John Hunter Hospital as a consequence of a serious assault while in custody.
She told the court had been approached by two inmates at the mid coast correctional centre ordering him to pay a large sum of money.
The court heard when he didn’t comply four other inmates went to his cell and seriously assaulted him.
Tozer suffered broken ribs and a fractured eye socket and was in Port Macquarie Hospital for a week.
“This incident has occurred in context where Mr Tozer has been subject to s serious assault and as a result of this trauma, he has not been in taking his medication for a diagnosis of schizophrenia and was not in the right frame of mind,” she said.
“It’s not a situation where he has planned the escape. It was an opportunistic, unplanned incident.”
She said as a result of the escape, her client would now be an escape classification which would require him to be in maximum security, and limit his opportunities for employment in custody.
She asked the court to take no action over the incident. “I’m sorry” he told the courtroom.
But police prosecutor Ashley Cooper noted there needed to be general deterrence for this type of offence.
“There should be some penalty imposed. A large number of police resources were used to recapture him.”
Magistrate Robert Stone agreed there should be some punishment.
“We can’t have prisoners escaping,” he said.
“I accept it was spontaneous and had little chance of success but there were significant resources used to recapture you.”
Tozer was sentenced to an extra six months in jail for his escape, which will be added onto his non-parole period from April 15 next year.
He was convicted of enter inclosed lands but no penalty was recorded and given seven days for his larceny matter which was to commence from today.