SPANISH TOWN, St Catherine — Devon Smith, who briefly escaped police custody while at the Spanish Town court house yesterday, was quickly recaptured and sentenced to six months in jail.

The 37 year-old man, who will appear in court today to answer to carnally abusing his 13 year-old daughter, escaped shortly after 11 am yesterday, while having a discussion with his court-appointed lawyer, Lesley Cousin.

According to police sources at the courthouse, Smith kicked out a mesh partition in the holding area, jumped through a window, climbed the wall at the rear of the courthouse and escaped into a nearby community. However, he was quickly recaptured by cops who were on duty at the courthouse, taken before Resident Magistrate Lorna Gayle and sentenced to six months.

He will appear before the St Catherine Circuit Court, today, to answer an incest charge, in connection with the impregnation of his teenage daughter.

Allegations are that following the death of the girl’s mother two years ago, she went to live with her father and during that time he carnally abused her. After neighbours realised that the girl was pregnant, cops said, her father sent her to live with relatives in Manchester. Smith shortly followed, after receiving word that his neighbours were determined to give him a sound thrashing.

While in Manchester, the police said, one of the young girl’s relatives reported the alleged carnal abuse to the police in the area, who returned the teen to Spanish Town, where she lodged a complaint against her father on July 9.

Smith was held at his Spanish Town home on Saturday, July 26 and charged with incest.