(File photo/paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Unlawful escape

Woman enters guilty plea after running from police

Dec 23, 2019 | 2:00 PM

Details of how a young woman was able to escape police custody last month were laid out in a Prince Albert courtroom Monday morning.

Courtney Sinclair, 23, had been at Victoria Hospital at the time of her escape on Nov. 19. She had been arrested the day before in connection to a break and enter. While in custody, she complained of abdominal pain and was taken to hospital as a precaution.

According to the statement of facts read in court by Crown Prosecutor Gail Douglas, Sinclair had told hospital staff she was six to eight months pregnant but a urine test later determined she was not.

Around 1:45 a.m, Sinclair, who was allowed by the escorting officer not to be handcuffed because of the pain she was alleged to be in, asked for water. The officer agreed to get some for her, but upon returning discovered Sinclair was gone.

A search of the hospital, nearby parking lot, and surrounding field near Alfred Jenkins Field House turned up nothing and by 3:15 a.m. RCMP returned to the detachment. They discussed Sinclair was likely at a house in the west flat area with gang members she was associated with. Police issued a news release later that morning indicating Sinclair had been located and arrested.

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When given the opportunity to speak in court Sinclair explained she knew what she had done was wrong and wanted to take responsibility for her actions by entering a guilty plea.

She also stated she had written a letter to the RCMP officer who she escaped from, acknowledging the officer had gone above and beyond to help her.

“I had no right to disrespect her in the way that I did,” Sinclair said.

Sinclair, who has no prior criminal record, has over 30 charges still before the courts including robbery and assault. A preliminary inquiry has been scheduled for Jan. 30 to deal with those charges.

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nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell