Jason Gregory Burdon, who staged Houdini-style escape from remand centre, stands trial over carjacking allegations
HE slipped out of prison using a rope made of clothes, but we can now reveal the reason infamous escapee Jason Gregory Burdon was in custody in the first place
Police & Courts
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A HUMPTY DOO man who staged a Houdini-style prison escape using a rope made of clothing is standing trial accused of breaking another man’s face during an early-morning carjacking.
Jason Gregory Burdon, who spent 34 hours on the run after bending window louvres in the Adelaide Remand Centre’s kitchen last month, appeared in the District Court on Monday.
Burdon, 33, originally from Humpty Doo, pleaded not guilty to one count of robbery over an alleged sequence of events that began with the alleged carjacking and finished with a rooftop stand-off with police.
Opening the trial, prosecutor Karen Ingleton said Burdon crashed his red hatchback into a parked Ford sedan on Caulfield Ave, Clarence Gardens, just after 2.30am on May 5, 2019.
She said the impact woke a nearby resident, who went outside and took photos with his mobile phone.
“(The resident) saw Burdon moving items from the rear of the hatchback to the veranda area of the house next door,” she said.
“He saw Burdon approach the driver of a silver Toyota, have a conversation and then start ferrying items into its back seat and boot.
“He saw the silver Toyota reverse back up Caulfield Ave, heard the sound of raised voices, and then saw the car drive off.”
Ms Ingleton said the car belonged to Burdon’s victim, a man who was driving home after a night out at the Adelaide Casino.
“The driver came upon the collision … Burdon approached him and said he would pay him money if he would help him out by driving him away from the scene,” she said.
“Burton then started to move property into the car and placed items into its boot and back seat, and then got in.
“The driver reversed the car and then changed his mind about assisting Burdon – he stopped, turned the engine off, removed the keys and got out the car.
“He refused to drive Burdon any further … Burdon demanded the keys and proceeded to assault him (until) he got the keys and drove away.”
She said the driver suffered fractures to both orbital sockets and his nose, requiring surgery.
“Two hours later, Burdon and the car were located in Charles St, Forrestville … he was arrested at 6am after climbing down from the roof of a house,” she said.
Counsel for Burdon told the court their client did not dispute taking the car but insisted it was not a robbery, as the Toyota’s driver was known to him.
The trial, before Judge Simon Stretton and in the absence of a jury, continues.
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