Woman jailed for seven years for helicopter jailbreak

A librarian who hijacked a helicopter to pluck her lover from a top-security jail was today sentenced to a minimum of seven years in prison.

Lucy Dudko, 43, was convicted earlier this year of helping armed robber John Killick escape from Silverwater jail in western Sydney, Australia on March 25, 1999.

Dudko hijacked the helicopter during a tourist flight over the nearby Olympic complex. She held a revolver to the pilot’s head and ordered him to land in the jail’s yard, where Killick leapt aboard as prison guards shot at him.

The couple forced the pilot to land in a park several kilometres away and fled in a car.

Dudko and Killick were on the run for a month before being captured. Killick has received at least 15 years imprisonment for masterminding the escape.

Handing down the sentence in the New South Wales state Supreme Court, Judge Helen Morgan said Dudko showed complete disregard for the safety of other people in carrying out the escape.

"One can only imagine the strong possibility of the disastrous consequences which could follow pointing a gun at the head of a helicopter pilot while flying over a densely populated area," Ms Morgan said.

Dudko will be eligible for parole in 2006.

Outside court, Dudko’s lawyer John Stratton said she would appeal her sentence.