Teen crim in toilet break

A VIOLENT youth offender who “hunted down” her victims was the second prisoner to escape from corrections officers in the space of five days

A VIOLENT youth offender who “hunted down” her victims was the second prisoner to escape from corrections officers in the space of five days at the Alice Springs Hospital.

Mikaela Dixon, 18, asked for permission to use the toilet then slipped past a guard as he was filling out a logbook to document her bathroom break. The other supervising officer had also left the room to use the toilet.

Dixon was sentenced to seven days imprisonment in the Alice Springs Local Court for escaping lawful custody at 11.20am on Thursday, June 30, this year.

The court heard the officers found her about 30 minutes later attempting to exit through the emergency department doors.

She then “bolted” to a bathroom where she locked herself in the toilet. She had been on remand, charged with aggravated assault.

Four days later Galvin Riley, 26, escaped from Alice Springs Hospital by climbing into the roof and hiding until two corrections officers outside his room realised he was missing and left to look for him.

He was on remand for an aggravated assault charge and was taken to the hospital for “non-emergency treatment of an existing condition”.

Police prosecutor Steve Haig said Dixon deliberately evaded corrections officers by making out she was going to the toilet.

She had been receiving treatment for a hand injury.

The court heard Dixon had multiple youth matters that involved aggravated assaults with weapons.

“The defendant sought the victims out. She has hunted them down and assaulted them without any real provocation,” Mr Haig said.

Dixon’s defence lawyer argued she had committed a technical breach by “sneakily going for a walk”.

It was also less than three weeks after convicted thief Nigel Miama walked out of the low-security cottages.

In May, four minimum security prisoners escaped Darwin Correctional Centre at Holtze for a Saturday night.