I'd do it again, says judge who rugby-tackled rapist trying to flee from court
The judge who rugby-tackled a convicted rapist as he tried to escape from his court said he would not think twice about doing it again.
The serial sex attacker was in the middle of a rape trial when he was apprehended by the judge, who is a former Irish guardsman.
Judge Marks Moore played down his courtroom bravery but said: "I would not hesitate to do it again. You cannot allow a person who has escaped in the past and raped someone to escape again without trying to stop him.
"It doesn't matter if you are a judge or not. You are just doing the right thing. It was a case of basically ensuring this man was stopped."
Reid was set to be sentenced today. He was first convicted of rape aged 21 in 1997 after he held a pillow over a teenage girl's mouth to stifle her screams and was sent to a young offender institute for six years.
Four years later in July 2001 he escaped for the first time and was given six months. Five months later he was given an extra 12 months - again for escape.
He spent years committing robberies and using fake names and dates of birth to evade detection until he was arrested for yet another sex assault in 2008.
Reid's most recent attempt at escape followed a conviction for sexassault in 2008 when he tried to rape a woman after offering to share a cab with her.
He was given an indeterminate sentence with a minimum term of two years for sexual assault.
But ten days later, while back at Inner London crown court to receive a sexual offences prevention order, he assaulted a dock officer and wriggled out of his handcuffs.
He ran through a fire exit and remained on the run for three months, during which time he raped a 25-year-old woman he befriended.
Then, on August 4 last year, Reid was in the middle of giving his evidence to the second rape charge at Woolwich Crown Court when he tried to escape again. "The only thing preventing him from pushing that fire door to the outside world was a judge in full wig and robes," said prosecutor Rupert Gregory.
Reid, whose address was given as HMP Belmarsh, admitted escape and attempted escape.
