Nurse reveals how she escaped after allegedly being kidnapped and forced to drive inmate who escaped from Long Bay Jail
- Mum-of-three opens up about terrifying ordeal
- The alleged kidnapper forced her to walk 15 kilometers
A nurse who was allegedly kidnapped and forced to drive a prison escapee through Sydney has spoken of her terrifying ordeal.
Mum-of-three Rachelle said she was unpacking groceries in her driveway in Little Bay, Sydney’s south, when an abusive fugitive approached her.
“I saw blood on him, so I was very scared. He told me he escaped from (Long Bay) prison,” she said.
He reportedly asked for her car keys, but she refused, so he told her to get in the car and drive it herself.
“I was very scared…he told me he wasn’t going to hurt me as long as I did what he told me to do.
A nurse who was allegedly kidnapped and forced to drive a prison escapee through Sydney, has spoken of her terrifying ordeal. Jason Neil Melbon, the man accused of kidnapping her, is pictured
“My heart was racing, but what was going through my mind was when can I run, when can I run for this,” she said. 9News.
The man accused of kidnapping Rachelle is Jason Neil Melbon, who has been behind bars since 2008 for shooting a woman during a carjacking.
The 43-year-old has less than 18 months left on that sentence.
“He said he shot several people, his life was in danger in prison and he just wanted to get away,” Rachelle said.
She managed to escape him after walking 15 km through the city to Beverley Park.
“I practically ran with my key in my top and ran towards her screaming ‘Help me’ and then beautiful neighbors came to my aid,” the mother said.
Police arrested Melbon soon after when he allegedly attempted to break into homes in the area.
He faced court on Tuesday and as well as being charged with assaulting Rachelle, he was also charged with assaulting another woman and tying her up with power cords.
Mum-of-three Rachelle (pictured) said she was unpacking groceries in her driveway in Little Bay, south Sydney, when an abusive fugitive approached her
Melbon was a minimum-security inmate and was doing yard work at Long Bay Prison when he allegedly scaled a fence and ran towards Little Bay and assaulted the two women.
Rachelle said she was “really disappointed that Corrections put me in this position.”
Adam Wilkinson of NSW Remedial Services said he “would just like to apologize to the victims involved in (the) incident”.
Melbon was denied bail at Sutherland Local Court and is due in court again on October 12.
