In a rare trip outside London I’m at Maidstone Crown Court before His Honour Judge Gratwicke for the ‘Plea and Trial Preparation’ hearing of Mr Akram Uddin, 27, of HMP Elmley.
Readers of the children’s adventure book ‘Sawson’s Quest’ may recognise the Judge’s name as the Author (as previously reported by the BBC). What transpires in Courtroom 7 this morning however is much more unbelievable than any fiction I have ever read.
The Judge is appearing remotely via video link today and explains to the court this is because he is self-isolating because of covid-19. Unfortunately, the remote video system gets off to shaky start as the defendant, who is also appearing via video link from HMP Elmley prison, can’t been seen and also can’t hear the court.
The indictment is a simple one: Escape from prison
Mr Liam Walker, representing Mr Uddin, tells the court that the defendant now wishes to plead guilty and proceed to sentence.
The case is opened by Mr Rio Pahlavanpour representing the Crown who explains that on 17th June 2020 Mr Uddin was discovered absent when he failed to be present at the 5.15pm roll call at HMP Standford Hill.
We hear he transferred to this open prison in March 2020 following 3 convictions for 7 offences including conspiracy to possess a firearm, violent disorder and drug offences involving Heroin and Crack Cocaine. All-in-all he’s serving a 93 month sentence from October 2017.
Mr Pahlavanpour explains that some eight-weeks-later on 18th August the defendant is spotted by police in a car travelling along the A13 and is questioned after it stops inside a service station. We’re told he initially gave false details however his identity was confirmed by a mobile fingerprint unit at the scene and he was taken back into custody.
It is the Crown’s position that he made no comment at the time of the arrest and that he had made no attempts to hand himself in.
What follows in submissions made by Mr Liam Walker is truly unbelievable – Akram Uddin tried to hand himself into Lewisham Police Station on no less than seven occasions during the time he was at large – and on each time was turned away by the police.
We hear that Mr Uddin contacted his solicitor a couple of days after absconding to seek advice. Their response: Hand yourself in and phone us when you’ve done it.
We hear his first attempt be taken back into custody was on July 13th at around 10pm before further attempts on 14/7, 22/7, 29/7, 5/8, 6/8 and finally 13/8. On one occasion being told by the front desk “There isn’t a warrant out for your arrest … there’s nothing we can do”.
Significant efforts were then made by his solicitor and barrister to communicate between the prison, the offender management unit and the police. The court is told that on Aug 13th the defendant even took a print-out of an e-mail from the prison confirming he was a wanted man to the police station but again was turned away. At that time Mr Uddin even requests to speak to a Police Sargent but is informed he was busy.
Ultimately an appointment is made for Mr Uddin to attend the police station on Aug 19th however he is apprehended the night before.
Describing the whole situation as an “utter shambles” Mr Walker says there was little more that his client could have done to hand himself in.
In passing sentence His Honour Judge Gratwicke tells the court that he “has no reason to doubt” Mr Uddin tried to hand himself in but ultimately it was “his decision to abscond” in the first place.
A sentence of 6 months custody reduced to 4 months because of the full credit of a guilty plea is handed down.
The judge tells the court he expects an enquiry into the circumstances of his failure to be arrested to be undertaken by the CPS or the Police and the results given to the court within 28 days.
Today also marks the first time I’ve seen a journalist present in court. A rarity given the comments made by Tristan Kirk in an 2018 article entitled “Only two London courts get ‘proper’ news coverage as numbers of attending journalists ‘dwindling’”
If you wish to read what a proper journalist made of this case you can find the report by The Guardian here.
Mouse in the Court 