KEY POINTS:
A "bizarre impulse" earlier this month prompted a young man to jump from the dock of Tauranga District Court and knock over a woman prosecutor as he tried to flee the building, a judge heard today.
Brendan Shane Moon, 18, unemployed, was jailed for nine months when he appeared for sentencing before Judge Christopher Harding on a charge of aggravated assault and one of escaping lawful custody.
This time he was handcuffed and flanked by two prison officers. A security guard and a police constable stood guard at the main exit from Tauranga's Courtroom One.
Moon's lawyer, Tony Balme, said the impetus to do a runner on September 6 "came from nowhere".
He added: "It took everyone in the room by surprise - even Mr Moon. He has to live with the consequences. He might need psychological counselling to deal with such impulses."
Moon had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and had since written a letter of apology and remorse to the assault victim, said Mr Balme.
Crown prosecutor Rob Ronayne said there was no victim impact statement because his colleague, Julie O'Brien, had not wished to file one.
At the time, Moon had been seated in the dock in Courtroom Three with a prison officer beside him. During a hearing before Judge Russell Callander the defendant suddenly jumped over the dock and made his bid for freedom.
Ms O'Brien, who had been prosecuting, attempted to block his escape by standing in front of the courtroom's closed doors.
Moon pushed her backward with such force she slammed into the double doors and back into a concrete wall across a small corridor outside. She fell to the ground, hitting her head on the concrete floor.
"You were tackled by others and re-arrested," Judge Harding told Moon. "The probation report notes this was not premeditated but simply a spur of the moment decision that you admit was foolish."
He said Moon faced a maximum of five years imprisonment as a result.
Aggravating factors were that it happened in a courtroom and an officer of the court was assaulted.
In jailing Moon, Judge Harding declined leave to apply for home detention. He ordered special release conditions including drug and alcohol, along with psychological, assessments and completion of any programmes recommended by a probation officer.
- NZPA