Opportunist Court House escaper jailed
File image. © Andrew Bardwell
A prisoner who found an unlocked door in the Christchurch Court House and made his escape out of the front door was jailed today on charges of escaping from custody, resisting police, and aggravated burglary.
Shane Archbold, an unemployed 36-year-old was to appear in court at a pre-trial session on the charge of aggravated burglary when he noticed an unlocked door and fled. He was found a few hours later in Aranui, and was arrested after being pepper sprayed.
Defence counsel for Archbold, Rupert Glover, said Archbold’s mother was looking after her terminally ill sister, and he thought he would be able to see her.
Christchurch District Court Judge Stephen O’Driscoll said on March 21, 2014, Archbold went into his victim’s bedroom and demanded money. He punched the man in the forehead and told him he was going to take out his eye with a tyre iron. He also struck the man over the head with a coffee table.
He said there was evidence of a struggle and if Archbold was injured in what occurred he only had himself to blame as the victim was acting in self defence.
The man suffered minor bruises and cuts to his face, mouth, neck, shoulder, and hand.
Judge O’Driscoll said Archbold had 45 previous convictions, nine of them for violence.
He told Archbold that he might wake up at 50-60 years of age and wonder why he had wasted his life, and if he continued doing violent offending he ran the risk of being sentenced to increasing terms of prison.
He said it was serious offending needing a stern response as people should be permitted to be in their homes without fear of people coming into the house and having threats and acts of violence against them.
He sentenced Archbold on all three charges to five years six months prison and read him the three strikes warning for violent offenders.
Category: Focus
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