Rising above the long arm of the law

A handcuffed prisoner bounced on a trampoline to clear a high fence in his bid to escape a pursuing police officer.

It didn't work - the man was captured, although the officer chasing him was briefly hospitalised with cuts on his arm and wrist.

A witness described seeing the handcuffed offender being chased across the backyard of her home in Helensville, northwest of Auckland.

Confronted with a high garden fence, he jumped on their trampoline to launch himself across.

"It's nothing unusual,"she said. "It's not the first time this has happened."

Acting Sergeant Daniel Wright said the man escaped from police custody about 6pm on Friday and was later found in the grounds of Kaipara College.

He appeared at Waitakere District Court yesterday, charged with offences including assaulting a police officer and escaping custody.

The injured officer is expected to return to work within a few days.