Man carrying small cloak having broken free (7)

I believe the answer is:

escaped

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'broken free' is the definition.
'escaped' can be an answer for 'free' (thesaurus). I am unsure of the 'broken' bit.

'man carrying small cloak' is the wordplay.
'man' becomes 'Ed' (short for Edward).
'carrying' indicates putting letters inside.
'small cloak' becomes 'scape' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should believe this answer much more).
'ed' placed around 'scape' is 'ESCAPED'.

'having' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for escaped that I've seen before include "Broke free, got away" , "gone!" , "Got away from captors" , "Ran away from confinement" , "Fled from captivity" .)

I've seen this clue in The Daily Express.

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