A MAN who made a dash for freedom while held in crown court custody managed to get into an area housing the judges' chambers.

A Darlington teenager who is charged with burglary, had been brought up from the cells at Teesside Crown Court for a bail hearing on Friday lunchtime.

But it is understood he somehow escaped from the dock and subsequently ran through the court room into an area where the judges' have their private chambers.

He was eventually apprehended by G4S security guards, who patrol the court complex, with the assistance of two barristers.

An eyewitness to the drama said: “There was a commotion coming from one of the courts a few yards away from where I was sat and you could hear the noise of a door being kicked hard repeatedly.

“A female security guard intervened, but it appears the man doing the kicking than ran back through the court, behind where the judge usually sits and up into the area where the judge's chambers are housed.

“The next minute a number of other security guards appeared, shouting into their radios, and rushed to another court where the man had reappeared.

“I'm told two barristers then wrestled him to the ground and put him in a headlock until the security guards were able to detain him.

“The incident was all over in a few minutes, but was very dramatic and it's not something you see very often here.

“There will doubtless be an inquiry into how the man managed to get into the secure area where the judges have their chambers, something which will cause a lot of concern.”