A man jumped out of the dock and fled from court moments after being jailed for assault.
Nicholas Bunclark appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday (January 3) and was handed a 16 month prison sentence. He is still at large since his escape.
Bunclark was convicted of assault occasioning actual bodily harm following an attack at a hostel on Leyland Road in Southport on November 19 2021. The ECHO was told that the 30-year-old held his head in his hands after learning his sentence.
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After a brief interaction with his mum in the public gallery, he was led towards the cells. But Bunclark, of St Oswald's Lane in Netherton, is then said to have vaulted the gate out of the unsecured dock.
Despite a brief scuffle with officers, he managed to escape the courtroom. A heightened security presence was seen around the courts the aftermath, with the defendant not believed to have left the building.
Patrolling guards were also seen keeping watch outside on Derby Square, while several other cases were adjourned as a result of the incident. It is understood that Bunclark has not yet been apprehended.
The Ministry of Justice and Merseyside Police have been approached for comment.
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