A man convicted of gang raping a 14-year-old girl in a Western Sydney park has escaped from custody while at a hospital.
NSW Police said Michael Angok, 30, was transported from Villawood Immigration Detention Centre to Bankstown Hospital on Wednesday at 9:30am, and fled on foot shortly after.
Specialist units including the Raptor Squad, PolAir, the Dog Unit and the Operations Support Group were deployed to search for him.
A number of personal items belonging to Angok were found discarded on Gallipoli Road, but he could not be located.
Agnok had been transported from Villawood Immigration Detention Centre to Bankstown Hospital on Wednesday morning. (ABC News: Simon Amery)
Detective Superintendent Brett Van Akker said Angok was “well known” to police, but he would not discuss his previous convictions.
He said Angok was to receive medical treatment at hospital when he escaped custody, and had been scheduled to be deported from Australia.
He acknowledged the public were not immediately notified of the incident on Wednesday.
“We had to exhaust other opportunities yesterday to get that person into custody,” he said.
“It’s not always the case [the public] can assist our inquiries, sometimes that can hinder our investigation.
“And we also don’t want to alert the community to any real concern if we are able to bring that person into custody straight away.”
The Australian Federal Police’s (AFP) Detective Acting Inspector Stuart Kimble said a warrant had been issued for Angok’s arrest.
He would not comment on the circumstances of Angok’s custody or why he was in immigration detention.
Convicted of sexually assaulting 14yo
Angok was convicted of sexually assaulting a teenage girl in a Doonside park in February 2014, alongside two other men.
The victim told police she was walking through the park when a man approached her, before overpowering and sexually assaulting her.
Angok was released from custody in 2017 after serving a minimum non-parole period of two years.
Police described him as being of African appearance, approximately 175 to 180 centimetres tall, with a thin build and short black hair.
He was last seen wearing a black hooded jumper, grey tracksuit pants and white Crocs.
NSW Police said Angok had previously resided in the Blacktown area and could have utilised the public transport network upon his escape.
Anyone with information has been urged not to approach him but to contact Triple Zero (000) immediately.
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1h agoThu 9 Apr 2026 at 7:09am
Press conference finishes
That’s all from NSW Police and the Australian Federal Police.
For more on this story, you can keep up to date via the ABC News website.
1h agoThu 9 Apr 2026 at 7:07am
Tight-lipped police in a ‘balancing act’
The last known location for Angok is still being explored, with police tight-lipped on further information.
“We are doing everything we can,” Superintendent Van Akker said. “There is a balancing act.”
1h agoThu 9 Apr 2026 at 7:05am
Arrest warrant obtained by AFP.
Australian Federal Police (AFP) are now investigating the circumstances as to how Angok fled, after being notified around 10:20am yesterday.
“The AFP has obtained an arrest warrant for this individual,” said Acting Inspector Stuart Kimble from the AFP.
“[We are] heavily invested into bringing this person before the courts.”
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