A MAN who jumped out of the dock at Bradford Crown Court was captured when he got stuck in the building’s revolving exit doors.

Danny Westfall had just been told by his barrister that bail was not an option when he made his escape bid.

He made it out of the courtroom and down the stairs but gave a new meaning to the “revolving door criminal justice system” when he tried to go the wrong way through the doors and got trapped.

He was abusive and aggressive to court security staff when they detained him.

Westfall, who was sentenced on a video link to Leeds Prison, was desperate to get out of custody to care for his sick mother and grandmother, the court heard today.

He pleaded guilty to escape on November 14 and to two offences of causing his former partner actual bodily harm in March and April last year.

Prosecutor Brian Outhwaite said Westfall pleaded guilty to attacking the woman on the day of his trial.

She was a vulnerable alcoholic who was homeless at the time.

The woman was staying at Westfall’s then address in Keighley when he assaulted her.

The court heard it was a volatile relationship with the police called out on several occasions.

On the first occasion, Westfall threw her into his flat, causing bruising.

Then, on April 4, he hit her in the face causing her nose to swell.

She raised the alarm from a nearby café and the police found her distressed and bleeding.

She told them she had gone back to Westfall’s flat because she had nowhere else to live.

He had punched her in face without warning and dragged her round the flat.

Westfall had 36 previous convictions for 70 offences, the court was told.

His criminal record included robbery, assault, battery, offences of dishonesty, assaulting the police and breaches of court orders.

Westfall’s barrister, Rukhshanda Hussain, said his relationship with the woman was well and truly over.

He jumped over the dock after Miss Hussain told him he would not get bail before the sentencing hearing.

His mother and grandmother were very unwell and he wanted to go and care for them.

“He was desperate to see them and thought it might be his last chance,” Miss Hussain said.

No one was injured when he was apprehended.

Westfall was addressing his problems relating to alcohol and drug addiction while he was in prison.

Judge David Hatton QC sentenced Westfall to a total of 68 weeks imprisonment.

He made a restraining order banning him from contacting his victim.

“She was a very vulnerable young woman and you perpetuated violence upon her for no reason whatsoever, once in March and again in April.

“Her injuries were not severe but they would have caused her distress in the state she was in,” Judge Hatton said.