PRISONER ESCAPES.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18266, 27 December 1924, Page 10

PRISONER ESCAPES.

PAPARUA CONVICT AT LARGE. About 5.30 a.m. yesterday Thomas Henry Moody, who was serving a term of three yeaTs' imprisonment at Paparua for housebreaking, escaped from custody. Moody, who was sentenced at Christchureh in May last, is 35 years of age, has a fair complexion, brown hair, blue eyes, and is sft 6in in height. His sentence was for having broken into several houses at St. Albans, and stolen therefrom a large amount of goods, some of which, it was stated, he had sold to various'second-hand dealers and others. From the commencement of his term of imprisonment, Moody's conduct was extremely good, and in view of this he was given employment in the gaol kitchen. Yesterday morning his escape was not detected for about half an hour after the occurrence, when a search was begun, but without result. Moody, at the time he escaped was wearing prison uniform, but evidently secured a change of clothing shortly afterwards, for he was reported to have been seen in Harewood road, Papanui, about 10.30 a.m., dressed in a brown suit and carrying a sack over his shoulder. A search was "'instituted in the vicinity as soon as the matter was reported to the prison authorities, but without result. The escapee was reported to have been again seen in fit. Albans during the early part of last evening, but a subsequent search failed to produce any result. A number of prison warders and detectives have been detailed to search for the missing mail.