Man sentenced after night in court dressed as a barrister

A man who roamed Geelong Court dressed as a barrister was sentenced yesterday.

A man who spent the night in Geelong court dressed as a barrister was sentenced to complete 150 hours of unpaid community work yesterday.

Leigh Hansen was charged with theft of a barrister’s garb, among other things, when he fell asleep in court back in February, after he had attended as a witness.  We he woke up, the court was closed.

According to a report by 9 News, The man took himself on a tour of the court, looking under paintings, turning off the air conditioning and water, and then discovering a room storing barristers’ wigs and robes.

Hanson put on a barristers outfit before finding a way out of the building five hours later.

His lawyer told the court that he had accidently overstayed his welcome.

“He was in a panic – he wakes up, it's dark, he's beside himself and he goes looking for a way out,” the lawyer said.
“It was not a very bright idea.”

But the police prosecutor identified CCTV footage in which Hanson had stuffed wigs and robes in a bag before leaving.
The incident raised concerns about court security and interview rooms are now permanently locked.

A month later, Hanson was caught driving while disqualified and handling a stolen motorbike.

He was sentenced to 150 hours of community work for all charges.
 

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