An Illawarra prisoner who escaped custody while on work-day release intended to flee to Queensland with his partner.
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However, Sunjay Dayal, 35, and his partner Leanne Curtis, 39, only made it to Coffs Harbour before their arrest.
And the pair only got that far when a Good Samaritan offered to pay for their train fare from Broadmeadow, near Newcastle, to Brisbane when they ran out of money.
Curtis' appeared in Wollongong Local Court on Friday.
Dayal was serving a 15-month prison sentence for abusing Curtis and had only been at the minimum security facility in Unanderra for a few months when he walked away from the Mount Keira Scout Camp site before noon on July 17.
The prisoner decided to leave the site after learning Curtis had been admitted to hospital after a suicide attempt.
After finding $640 inside a building at the camp, Dayal called a taxi which took him to Casula where he met Curtis before the two fled up the coast.
Dayal and Curtis spent the night at a Casula motel after the escaped prisoner paid for the room in cash.
The couple made their way to Granville Railway Station, then caught a train to Strathfield and then another to Broadmeadow where they planned to catch an interstate train to Brisbane.
Police allege Curtis booked two tickets and used the name and concession card of her son's friend for Dayal's ticket.
However, they did not have the money to pay the ticket fares.
That's when the member of the public agreed to pay for their tickets. The couple agreed to pay the Good Samaritan back later after they could organise money.
But before the couple could reach their destination, police were waiting at Coffs Harbour train station and arrested the duo.
Police allege Curtis intended to contact her friend in Queensland for help before they arrived in Brisbane.
Curtis is accused of "actively assisting the escapee to avoid detection and recapture".
She originally pleaded not guilty but then changed her plea to guilty in court on Friday.
She avoided jail time and was sentenced to a community corrections order.
Dayal pleaded guilty to charges of escape lawful custody and larceny.
He will remain in prison for another 18 months on top of his current sentence.
He will now be classified as a high-risk inmate and will be subject to strict security and protocols at Lithgow Correctional Centre.
For help, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or the Mental Health Line on 1800 011 511.