A man who fled the dock of an Aberdeen courtroom in a desperate dash for freedom was jailed for over a year.
Paul John McCallum, 27, was only stopped by the quick thinking of a police officer after he leaped out of the dock and sprinted from the courtroom of the Mercatgate annex building last year.
As he was sentenced to a year behind bars on July 24 last year, McCallum bolted from the courtroom and managed to reach a lower floor, where he violently struggled with police and security staff.
Backup police officers rushed across Union Street from the main sheriff court building to stop McCallum from reaching the street.
Asked by Sheriff Philip Mann if he had any plans to repeat the daring escape in his courtroom, McCallum shook his head and remained seated.
‘He said he wouldn’t go down to the cells until he saw his girlfriend’
Telling him this behaviour “cannot be tolerated”, Sheriff Mann sentenced McCallum to 14 months in prison.
Fiscal depute Lucy Simpson had earlier told the court that around 12.40pm on July 24, McCallum entered the dock alongside a GeoAmey security officer.
As McCallum was sentenced to 12 months in prison, the GeoAmey guard took out his handcuffs, but, as he attempted to put them on McCallum’s wrist, he pulled his arm away.
Then he placed his foot on the bench where he had been seated only moments before, jumping over the dock and kicking a computer screen over in the process.
McCallum first tried to run towards the sheriff’s door before running out a side exit into the main corridor.
“A police constable chased the accused and grabbed hold of his arm,” Ms Simpson said.
“The accused resisted and managed to slip out of the constable’s grip. He ran down the stairs.
“He was followed by the constable and the security guard. The accused ran on to the first floor of the building, where he encountered a dead end.
“He was apprehended. Handcuffs were applied. He said he wouldn’t go down to the cells until he saw his girlfriend.
“He struggled violently with the constable, the security guard, and others who had attended to assist.”
McCallum continued to be highly agitated and made threats that he was going to “kick off” before telling the security guard he was going to “stick my head on you and break your nose”.
As he continued to struggle, leg straps were applied and he was led off to custody.
‘There was no planning … he didn’t know where he was going’
In the dock, McCallum pled guilty to one charge of running from the dock with the intention of defeating the ends of justice.
He also admitted to a second charge of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner.
Defence solicitor Graham Mann told the court that “there can be no excuse for this type of behaviour” but said there was some background to McCallum’s decision to jump from the dock.
“The view that Mr McCallum had formed was that the court would consider something non-custodial,” the solicitor said.
“That wasn’t the case, and it took everyone by surprise, including him.
“There was no planning of this on his part – he didn’t even know where in the building he was going. But his behaviour was totally unacceptable, and he accepts that.”
Sheriff Philip Mann told McCallum: “This was behaviour that quite simply cannot be tolerated in this court.
“It must have been quite alarming for the court officer who was involved in it. There really is no alternative to a custodial sentence.”
Sheriff Mann sentenced McCallum, whose address was given as HMP Grampian, to 14 months in prison.
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