LOCKDOWN: Police outside Hull Crown Court, after Josh Pougher, inset, absconded in September
A BURGLAR who sparked a major security alert when he escaped from court has been jailed.
Josh Pougher, 24, was yesterday convicted of breaking into a house in Beech Croft, Hessle, and stealing the keys to the owner’s Porsche on May 14.
It can now be revealed that he was recently jailed for a year for escaping from Hull Crown Court after reporting restrictions banning publication were lifted.
Pougher, of Hessle Road, leapt over the dock where he was due to stand trial for the burglary and ran through a judge’s chambers on September 10, before leaving the court via an insecure fire door.
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He then caught a bus to west Hull.
Pougher was found five days later by police at a house in Coltman Street, west Hull, hiding behind a cabinet in a bedroom.
Judge Jeremy Richardson QC revealed a major security review of Hull Crown Court is currently under way following Pougher’s escape.
He revealed defendants will now not be brought into the court room unless a judge is present.
Only security staff were present in court room four when Pougher escaped.
Judge Richardson said: “A meeting took place with the police to discuss security issues in the building.
“The security in light of this in the entire building is now part of a major review by the police.
“I want to reassure people that the court has taken this very seriously and a security review is under way.”
Judge Richardson sentenced Pougher to 12 months in prison for escaping custody and said his actions that day had caused a “massive inconvenience” as the court was in lock-down for more than an hour.
The judge said: “The defendant’s actions were massively inconvenient to all those in the building.
“There was actually a visit by a Lord Justice of Appeal that day and measures had to be taken to have that meeting transferred to another building.”
Pougher had also escaped police custody back in July 2011, it was revealed yesterday.
A jury, who took less than 90 minutes to find Pougher guilty of burglary, heard he also had a string of convictions for burglary and aggravated vehicle taking .
He was jailed for three years and six months after he was found guilty of the May burglary.
He had already admitted aggravated vehicle taking.
The sentence will run consecutively to the 12 months he received for escaping custody.
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