Drug addict shopped by mum

A TEEN crack-addict burglar was turned in to police by his mother after he escaped from Snaresbrook Crown Court.

Craig Whayling,18, from Hackney, who is the latest in a long line of prisoners to escape from the court, was sentenced to 34 months in prison on Friday.

He originally appeared at the court in May on a charge of burglary after breaking into a house in Woodford Road, Woodford Green on January 8 and stealing electrical equipment in order to buy drugs.

Police caught the teenager the same day after the man he had burgled saw him standing with his goods at Snaresbrook Tube station.

While on bail he committed another burglary in Hackney and he was re-arrested.

After his case was heard, Whayling escaped from the cells at the court by removing a panel from a wall and climbing out.

He went straight home and his mother immediately took him to the local police station.

Sentencing the teenager Snaresbrook Crown Court Judge Nicolas Medawar said: "You leave your victims with a feeling of insecurity and anxiety, brought on by your behaviour. In addition to committing domestic burglaries, whilst taken into custody, you escaped. That attracts a further custodial sentence."

Judge Medawar gave Whayling two concurrent 30-month sentences for each burglary and a four-month consecutive sentence for the escape.

This recent escape is another in a long line of attempts to abscond from the court in Hollybush Hill.

In June Michael Kendall escaped after he was convicted of stabbing someone in the neck during a car jacking. In September last year convicted rapist Paul Reid jumped out of the dock and fled and in May two criminals awaiting sentence for holding up a shop with an imitation firearm escaped from the court's holding cells.

15:56 Thursday 25th July 2002

Printer Friendly Format

Send This Page To A Friend

• Are you a born comedian?
• Have you memories of Oakdale infants?
• Ban for director