A man who roamed Geelong Court dressed as a barrister was sentenced yesterday.
A man who spent the night in Geelong court dressed as a barrister was sentenced to complete 150 hours of unpaid community work yesterday.
Leigh Hansen was charged with theft of a barrister’s garb, among other things, when he fell asleep in court back in February, after he had attended as a witness. We he woke up, the court was closed.
According to a report by 9 News, The man took himself on a tour of the court, looking under paintings, turning off the air conditioning and water, and then discovering a room storing barristers’ wigs and robes.
Hanson put on a barristers outfit before finding a way out of the building five hours later.
His lawyer told the court that he had accidently overstayed his welcome.
“He was in a panic – he wakes up, it's dark, he's beside himself and he goes looking for a way out,” the lawyer said.
“It was not a very bright idea.”
But the police prosecutor identified CCTV footage in which Hanson had stuffed wigs and robes in a bag before leaving.
The incident raised concerns about court security and interview rooms are now permanently locked.
A month later, Hanson was caught driving while disqualified and handling a stolen motorbike.
He was sentenced to 150 hours of community work for all charges.
