A murderer who threatened to slit a woman’s throat as he escaped custody during a Perth hospital visit from jail was found hiding in a nearby graveyard.
Lifer James Demarco issued the chilling threat to the custody officer after knocking her down a flight of stairs.
He bit and battered another officer before fleeing and terrorising a mother in an attempt to get her car.
He was captured by police in the nearby cemetery and when he was charged responded: “Like that will make a difference to my life sentence, ha ha.”
The High Court in Edinburgh heard he had got himself intoxicated in the prison before the hospital visit.
Desperate escape bid
Demarco, 34, was jailed for life in 2007 after he murdered 18-year-old Jamie Ewart in a knife attack at a house party in Edinburgh and ordered to serve a minimum term of 15 years before he can seek release.
The following year he was jailed for a further 45 months after he ordered a “hit” from prison and listened in by phone as the victim screamed during the machete attack.
During the assault Demarco was heard laughing on a recording from the segregation unit at Edinburgh’s Saughton prison and the assailant James Paxton said: “I just sliced and diced with my machete.”
Demarco, who has 11 convictions for assault on his criminal record, took advantage of a visit to Perth Royal Infirmary on September 25 last year from HMP Perth, the high court heard on Monday.
He was handcuffed to the female GeoAmey prisoner transport officer but caused her to fall down a set of stairs and hit her head, inflicting a wound which required stitches.
Demarco threatened to slit her throat and demanded: “Take these cuffs off me.”
A fellow officer went to her aid and put Demarco in a headlock but the vicious killer bit him on the forearm and repeatedly struck him to get free.
He ran from the hospital towards a car park and saw a woman, who had attended for an appointment with her four-year-old daughter, and demanded to know where her car and its keys were.
He ripped her clothing and she screamed before Demarco fled.
Police found him at Wellshill cemetery, at the end of Jeanfield Road, after they were alerted by 999 calls.
Prison intoxication
Demarco admitted attempting to defeat the ends of justice by threatening violence towards the custody officers, compelling them to release him from handcuffs and making good his escape.
He also pled guilty to assaulting to severe injury and permanent disfigurement on the woman GeoAmey officer and assaulting the male.
He also admitted attempted robbery.
He was originally charged with attempted murder.
Defence counsel Tony Lenehan said it was not a premeditated attempt to escape.
“It was not something where there were people waiting, it was not something where there was a plan.”
“He gets as far as the cemetery where he lies down and the police found him behind a hedge.”
He said: “The events of this day began with him becoming intoxicated at his own hand within the prison.”
Demarco was stumbling about on his feet and pulled over the officer escorting him to hospital before trying to take advantage of the situation, he said.
He added his client has “effectively spent his entire adult life in prison” and had until recently resigned himself to a life in jail.
He told the court that there has been “a sea change” in Demarco’s behaviour and he is further seeking information from staff, including the governor.
Judge Fiona Tait deferred sentence until August 23 to receive reports from Perth Prison.
A year ago, Demarco appeared at Perth Sheriff Court to admit having an illegal phone in his cell and told the sheriff he had been taking self-help courses in a bid to be moved to open prison.
He said: “It’s a course that’s a year long, so if everything goes perfectly I will maybe be released in five years time – maybe.”
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