A Cairns lawyer defending a 19 year old sprang into action when the teen attempted an escape.
A lawyer crash tackled his client in a Cairns court last week after the 19 year old was denied bail and attempted an escape over a glass wall as he was being led out of the court.
Mark Savic, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service solicitor represented the teen on charges relating to property offences, sprang into action after the watch house officer attempted to capture Savic’s client as he fled, ripping his t-shirt.
Savic tackled his client to the ground and he was then handcuffed and taken back into custody.
“My concern was that my client would just get himself into more trouble,” he told reporters outside the court. “It was in his best interest to surrender himself. It all happened so quickly. Hopefully he can just get himself on the straight and narrow now.”
The teen returned to court days later on charges relating to the escape attempt: the serious assault of a public official and escaping lawful custody, the Cairns Post reported.
While this is the second time an escape has been attempted by a young prisoner in recent months Savic admitted that this was the first time in his career he had been called upon to assist in arrest his own client.
