A rapist is on the run after leaping out of a courtroom dock moments after being found guilty of a sexual attack on a 16-year-old girl.

Bradley Tout, 20, managed to evade private security staff as he fled from Worcester crown court at the end of his trial. He forced his way out of the courtroom and into the main atrium before bursting through double doors and on to the street.

Addressing the jury after the escape on Wednesday, the judge, Nicolas Cartwright, said: “Well, I’ve never seen anything like that happen before.” Tout was jailed for seven and a half years in his absence on Thursday.

West Mercia police have appealed for help in finding Tout and warned that anyone harbouring him could also face prosecution.

Tout and a co-defendant, Kulin Odedra, 28, were found guilty of raping a teenage girl in a car park at Worcestershire county hall and in secluded woodland. After delivering the guilty verdicts, members of Tout’s family who were sitting in the public gallery shouted: “He’s innocent!”

A witness said: “Seconds before he escaped, Tout could be seen with both hands on the dock, which is more than 3 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.

“The alarms were going off all over the court and the security guards looked very worried that they’d lost him. It was high drama.”

Despite the alarm being raised, security staff at the main entrance did not manage to grab Tout. One security guard needed hospital treatment after suffering bruising and suspected broken ribs sustained in a fall while chasing the defendant.

During the trial, the girl told how she was plied with alcohol and cannabis after she was picked up in Tout’s car and raped in the car park and woodland. She said: “They were just passing me around, just like I was this piece of meat.”

Odedra, 28, was jailed for 11 and a half years after he was found guilty of two counts of rape.

Staff from the private custody services company GEOAmey were on duty at the time of the escape. A company spokesman said: “We can confirm an escape from Worcester crown court by a male offender after a decision was made to remand him in custody.

“A GEOAmey custody officer attended hospital after sustaining injuries during the incident. West Mercia police are searching for the offender and a full investigation will be carried out.”

Supt Paul Moxley of West Mercia police said: “We have launched a thorough search for Tout and would urge the public if they see him to contact police immediately. Anyone who is knowingly assisting Tout or harbouring him should also expect to be arrested.”

Tout is white, 5ft 8in tall, with short mousey brown hair. He was wearing a white top and dark trousers.

His father, Matthew, urged his son to hand himself in to police, saying the family planned to appeal the rape conviction.

He said: “I don’t know where my son is but of course I want him to hand himself in. I don’t want him to do or say anything which could jeopardise any future appeal.”

A police spokesperson said: “Anyone who sees Tout or knows of his whereabouts should immediately call 999 quoting incident 474s of 3 October 2018. Alternatively, information can be provided anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”