A man has pleaded guilty to escaping from prison in Broome, Western Australia, and sparking a Kimberley-wide manhunt that lasted several days.
Warrick Walkerbear, 29, appeared in Kununurra Magistrates Court via video link from Hakea Prison this afternoon and pleaded guilty to escaping from lawful custody on October 26, 2021.
He also pleaded guilty to stealing a car in Kununurra five days before he escaped from Broome Regional Prison.
Magistrate Michelle Ridley told Walkerbear he would likely be sentenced in January, depending on the outcome of a separate criminal matter being heard in the Supreme Court.
Police say Walkerbear scaled the fence of the prison, and shortly after, members of the public filmed and photographed him running down one of Broome's main streets wearing a dark-green prison uniform.
He was spotted numerous times in the hours that followed but police lost track of him after was seen running into a thick mangrove forest adjacent to the town.
Police set up a roadblock on the only road out of Broome after concerns he would make his way to Derby – more than two hours away by car – where he had family connections.
Two days later a tip-off led police to Walkerbear, who was hiding in an abandoned house.
Police said some family and friends who had initially aided Walkerbear ultimately helped police catch him.
At the time of the escape, planning was underway to replace the century-old prison after decades of criticism of poor and overcrowded conditions.
A proposed location for the new prison angered locals last year, forcing the state government back to the drawing board.
Walkerbear remains in custody.
