Rapist who was rugby-tackled by judge sentenced to jail

London - A rapist who was rugby-tackled by a judge when he tried to escape from a London court was sentenced to a minimum term of six years and three months in prison.

Appearing at Woolwich Crown Court last year Paul Reid, 34, tried to escape from the court but Judge Douglas Marks Moore, 60, went after him. Wearing his wig and robe, the judge grabbed Reid around the throat and they fell down three steps together. Reid broke loose but, just as he was about to push open a fire door, Moore, a former Irish Guardsman, rugby-tackled him around the waist and brought him to the ground. "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," the London Evening Standard quoted Moore as saying. "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 had been convicted of rape and sexual assault previously, and had escaped from a youth detention centre and a court. He entered guilty pleas to escape charges and on Wednesday Judge Jeremy Roberts, at the Old Bailey, sentenced him on two counts of rape and two of escaping. Roberts said Moore had injured his shoulder while preventing Reid's escape. "The public would wish me to express their appreciation of his extremely brave and public-spirited action, going well beyond the call of duty in preventing the escape of an extremely dangerous man," the BBC quoted him as saying. Reid was given a life sentence, with a minimum term of six years and three months The Guardian reported the Moore stressed that he considered Reid to be extremely dangerous and unlikely to be released for some time.