Last year, our civil solicitor, Anavi Arya, represented a victim of Jason Melbom, a Sydney inmate who escaped from Long Bay Correctional Complex. He carried out a violent crime spree through the city’s eastern suburbs, attacking and terrorising people in their own homes.
Melbom was serving a 22-year sentence at the Malabar facility when he scaled a three-metre prison fence in August 2023. Within hours, he had invaded multiple homes, bound a woman with a laptop cord and kidnapped her, grabbed another woman by the hair and punched her, and threatened victims with knives. The rampage lasted three hours. Recently, the case has been in the press again because two new victims have come forward.
Jason Melbom’s Escape Deemed Abuse Of Trust
In April 2026, Melbom was sentenced to eight years’ prison with a non-parole period of five years and six months after pleading guilty to escaping lawful custody, kidnapping, assault while armed, and five break-and-enter offences, among other charges.
The sentencing judge described his escape as an abuse of trust by Corrective Services NSW as officers allowed him to do ‘relatively unsupervised and unstructured work.” Said work allowed Melbom to carry out violence that was, in the Judge’s words, “shocking and terrifying” for his victims.
We Represented A Victim Of The Jason Melbom Rampage
O’Brien Criminal & Civil Solicitors represented a victim of Jason Melbom in a civil claim in 2025. Our civil solicitor Anavi Arya acted on behalf of our client, whose life was upended by Melbom’s actions that day.
What happened to our client was not simply the result of one man’s choices. It was made possible by a failure of the prison system, a failure by those responsible for keeping a dangerous man behind bars.
Could You Have A Civil Claim Against State For Actions Of An Inmate?
The sentencing Judge himself noted that Melbom’s escape was the result of an institutional abuse of trust. When that abuse of trust results in serious harm to members of the public, the victims of that harm may have legal options.
If you or someone you know was a victim of Jason Melbom, we encourage you to reach out.
Our firm has extensive experience in civil actions involving institutional abuse and failures by Corrective Services NSW. We are not afraid to take on the state on behalf of the people it has failed.
📞 Call O’Brien Criminal & Civil Solicitors on (02) 9261 4281 or email to arrange a free appointment with our civil lawyers in Sydney.
