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A MAN who escaped from legal custody at the Subordinate Courts last September was packed off to jail for 5 1/2 years and ordered to be caned 15 times for this and two other offences.
Mohammad Noorhairy Khairuddin, 26, and his accomplice, Rizuwan Roslan, 23, were injured when they jumped from the eighth floor of the Havelock Square building to the public corridor one floor below.
On Wednesday, the part-time mover pleaded guilty to escaping from custody, robbery with hurt and vandalism. A fourth charge of disorderly behaviour was taken into consideration.
A district court heard that on Aug 26 last year, Noorhairy and a 25-year-old accomplice, who is at large, followed student Mohammad Fazuan Johari, 16, in a bus from Bedok North Avenue 3 to Block 707 Bedok North Road where they robbed and punched him.
The victim was relieved of his wallet, a mobile phone and personal belongings amounting to $317. He was warded for two days and given three weeks' medical leave after he was assaulted by one of the culprits.
On Sept 20, Noorhairy and Rizuwan were being escorted to the Court 26 dock when they discreetly walked out when a police officer was attending to a query by a member of the public in the public gallery.
The two men, who were handcuffed to each other, made their way to the upper level by walking up the staircase.
At level 9, they found that all the doors were locked. They went down to the eighth level and prised open the door of a ventilation fan duct.
They squeezed their way through that opening which opened to a wire mesh top above level 7. They walked to the end of the wire mesh and jumped off, landing on the seventh floor public corridor. They were semi-conscious and groaning in pain.
On Nov 28, when Noorhairy appeared before District Judge Sarjit Singh in the dock for his case to be dealt with, he suddenly knocked his forehead against the wooden door of the dock which fell off. The damage cost $248.
Rizuwan was jailed 10-1/2 years and given 18 strokes last December for escape from legal custody and drugs.
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