MoJ investigates how rapist fled from Worcester court
The Ministry of Justice has begun an investigation into how a convicted rapist was able to escape from a court after leaping from the dock.
Bradley Tout, 20, of Durham Road, Worcester, made his escape moments after Worcester Crown Court jurors found him guilty of attacking a teenage girl in December 2016. An officer from security firm GeoAmey gave chase but was unable to catch him. The company is reviewing CCTV footage of Wednesday's incident. West Mercia Police confirmed Tout remains at large and officers are continuing to search for him. The MoJ said in a statement: "Public protection is our priority and incidents like this are extremely rare. "All are taken seriously and a full investigation is under way." A GeoAmey spokesman said the company would try to "learn lessons" from what had happened. It is not yet known how long either investigation will take. Previously, West Mercia Police confirmed no police officers were at court when Tout made his escape. Those in court said Tout jumped over the 4ft-high dock, ran out of the courtroom and through a metal detector. A court security officer suffered suspected broken ribs and bruising in an altercation with Tout in the street. He has since been discharged from hospital. At a sentencing hearing following his escape, Tout was jailed for seven-and-a-half years. His co-defendant Kulin Odedra, 28, from Canterbury Road, Worcester, was jailed for 11-and-a-half years for three counts of rape and one count of attempted rape. The court was told the attacks happened in Tout's car after he parked behind a skip in County Hall in December 2016.