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Pair hatched plans for prison escape

Eastern Goldfields Regional Prison. File picture: The West Australian

Two men climbed into the roof of Eastern Goldfields Regional Prison before jumping the outer fence to escape, Kalgoorlie Magistrate's Court has been told.

Keerene Richard Leonard Donaldson, 18, was yesterday given an additional six months jail for breaking out of prison with another man in November.

The extra time means Donaldson, who is now in the punishment unit at Casuarina Prison, is unlikely to be released from prison until late next year.

The court yesterday was told Donaldson and an accomplice, 20-year-old Leon Bernard Gregory, formed a plan to escape from the jail on the evening of Thursday, November 13.

Between 7pm and 9.30pm, the pair gained access to the roof inside the prison to escape the building.

Once outside, they jumped a perimeter fence and left the facility.

An extensive police search followed, with officers scouring the Goldfields as the pair spent the next 30 hours on the run.

Gregory was arrested in West Kalgoorlie on the morning of November 15, while Donaldson was arrested at Kurrawang a few hours later.

Donaldson was sentenced to a 12-month jail term in September and is eligible for parole. His earliest release date is January 2015.

Defence counsel Greg Wildie said Donaldson had been behaving well in prison before his girlfriend visited him on the day of his escape.

He described Donaldson as becoming “extremely stressed and depressed” after discovering his partner was ending their relationship.

Mr Wildie told the court Donaldson spoke to Gregory a short time later and the pair decided to flee the prison.

The court heard the maximum penalty for escaping lawful custody was three years jail or a $36,000 fine.

Magistrate Richard Huston said the entire justice system relied on sentenced prisoners serving their time without attempting to escape their fate.

Mr Huston noted Donaldson’s record, which contained numerous convictions for burglary and stealing, did him no favours.

However, he accepted Donaldson was still a young man and he had pleaded guilty at an early opportunity.

Gregory also received a six-month jail term for the incident.