A RAPIST jumped the dock and escaped after he was convicted of a 'seedy' and 'sordid' sex attack on a teenage girl in Worcester.

Bradley Tout vaulted over the dock in court three at Worcester Crown Court today as prison officers gave chase. Only moments before the dramatic escape the 20-year-old and a co-defendant, Kulin Odedra, had been unanimously convicted of rape.

The rapes took place at County Hall in Worcester and at another, more isolated location near Warndon Villages on the outskirts of the city on December 27, 2016.

There had been sobbing from the public gallery from the moment Tout was convicted of rape and, when he bolted, a member of Tout's family shouted 'he's innocent!'

Jury members, barristers, court staff, police officers in the case, dock officers and members of the public in the gallery above the court looked on in astonishment as the court's alarms rang out.

Seconds before he escaped Tout could be seen with both hands on the dock, which is more than three feet high.

With a sudden, violent motion he vaulted over the dock wall, catching his feet on the edge, stumbling slightly as he ran away.

However, he swiftly regained his balance only to crash hard into a wall with his shoulder and then into another wall as he sprinted through a narrow corridor, out of the courtroom. From there he fled through a set of double doors and on through the atrium of the court, passing the security officers and heading out through the metal detector and into Foregate Street.

The Worcester News understands that security staff positioned at the main entrance had not been informed of the conviction of Tout and Odedra and therefore could not respond to the dynamic situation.

At one point a large male dock officer came up from the cells into the court but ran the wrong way as one of the barristers, Adam King, shouted 'go right!'

Three dock officers returned to the dock breathless and looking shocked after failing to apprehend Tout.

Judge Nicolas Cartwright, addressing the jury, said: "Well, I've never seen anything like that happen before."

Tout of Durham Road, Ronkswood, was convicted of a single count of rape. Odedra, aged 28, of Canterbury Road, Ronkswood, was convicted of two counts of rape, one of attempted rape and one of assault by penetration.

Tout, Odedra and a third man, Kaasim Multani, were cleared of paying for the sexual services of a child using alcohol and soft drinks. Mr Multani, 20, only faced that single charge and left the court a free man.

Odedra was found not guilty of attempting to sexually exploit a child under the age of 18.

Earlier in the trial the girl, aged 16 at the time of the offences, gave evidence at court, declining a screen so she was in full view of the public gallery which included members of the families of defendants.

The sex attacks happened in Tout's car after he parked it behind a skip in County Hall and later that same evening at an isolated location described as being near Warndon Villages in Worcester.

The case was prosecuted by Steven Bailey who said in his opening: "This case is about the sexual exploitation of a 16-year-old girl. You will hear evidence of pretty seedy, sordid behaviour. There are no hearts and flowers in this case. Romeo and Juliet it isn't."

The defendants had claimed the girl was willing and Odedra, who referred to women as 'slags', had claimed the girl was 'up for it' and wanted a 'threesome'.

But the girl said in a video interview she had not wanted sex with them and had repeatedly pushed Odedra's hand away and did not consent to sex with Tout in front of Odedra, a stranger to her.

She said: "I felt upset that I had been used. They were just passing me around just like I was this piece of meat."

The girl also took photographs of bruises to her body which she said were sustained as Odedra slapped her while she was having sex with Tout.

Tim Harrington who appeared for the prosecution on the day of verdicts said Odedra had five previous convictions for six offences including possession of an offensive weapon on school premises and wounding. Tout has convictions for criminal damage, driving offences, assaulting a constable and battery.

He said a starting point for the sentence of rape was 10 years in custody with a range of nine to 13 years. He said it was culpability 'A' because there had been a significant degree of planning. Aggravating features included the location of the offences, the use of alcohol and drugs and the vulnerability of the victim.

Sexual harm prevention orders will be imposed on Tout and Odedra which will prohibit contact with the victim and any contact with a child under the age of 18, including being in a car with people under 18.

The sentence of Tout and Odedra is scheduled to take place tomorrow morning. The judge said if Tout had not been apprehended by then he would be sentenced in his absence.

When the Worcester News went to press West Mercia Police confirmed they had officers out looking for Tout.