Kane Dane
A man trying to avoid arrest jumped 15ft from a first-floor window after throwing the kid he was holding across a room.
The child landed in an armchair and was unharmed by the incident. Christopher Rooke was arrested a week later.
He was sentenced to six months in prison at Bolton Crown Court after pleading guilty to fleeing from lawful custody.
Prosecutors Robert Elias described the court how Rooke and his partner broke up in February. Still, on August 9, he arrived at the first floor flat in Bolton, where she lives with their two kids, alleging he was homeless, had nowhere to stay, and was permitted to sleep in the living room.
“There was then a dispute about the number she had on her phone with other men, having in mind the relationship had ended,” said Mr. Elias.
“That dispute eventually led to her leaving the flat, leaving the kids behind and the police being called and attending.”
But when police came to arrest him on doubt of assault, 29-year-old Rooke did not go voluntarily.
He prevaricates, holding one or other of the kids in his arms and states he wants to put his shoes on.
He goes and takes his shoes and maneuvers the officer until he can, using the kid as his cat’s paw, throw the child onto the seat and then escape from the first-floor window — some 15ft — and run away.
His arrest was made clear many times, and the officers intended to handcuff him. He was lying, and he uses the kids as a way of preventing officers seizing him as he is holding, at all times, a child.
Mr. Elias added that the baby, who was aged just over one, was not thrown in a way that hurts them, and Rooke was taken into custody for another offense several days later.
The court tried that the 29-year-old Rooke, of Parrin Lane, Eccles, has earlier convictions for 53 offenses, including theft, assault, and robbery.
Judge Martin Walsh of Honorary Recorder of Bolton was informed that Rooke was originally charged with assault of his former partner. Still, the case did not continue due to her not desiring to continue with the prosecution.
The defending lawyer Hayley Bennett said Rooke, who was remanded in custody while awaiting sentence, wishes to return to his former job laying flooring.
“One of the first things he needs to do on his eventual release is to have proper touch with his two young kids who mean a lot to him,” she said.
Sentencing the 29-year-old father to six months in prison, Judge Walsh told him he had intentionally tried to prevent being arrested: “You were prevaricating, looking for an occasion to escape.”
“You pulled up a young kid and then made a dart for a window, throwing the baby into a chair and jumping through a window.”
“The baby was employed by you to help the escape, and that is an aggravating feature of the crime.”
