ESCAPER CAUGHT

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28936, 2 July 1959, Page 10

ESCAPER CAUGHT

Arrest Made In

Nelson

, ... ?' ■ ..* - ' ' * '■ '■ An escaped Sunnyside Mental Hospital patient, who was described as dangerous, was arrested by the police in Nelson late yesterday afternoon after he got off a bus from Blenheim. He is Edward Kerr, alias John Charles La Coste, aged 18, who will appear in the Nelson Magistrate’s Court this morning, and will be remanded to Christchurch, ft is understood that he will be brought to Christchurch today. A car, which was converted from a private garage in Howard street, Spreydon, on Tuesday, night, was believed to be in the possession of Kerr. It was found abandoned on the Majn road between Cheviot and Domett early yesterday afternoon. . Two police cars containing Detective Constable D. Lee, Constable W. Stickings and the police dog, Ace, in one vehicle, and Sergeant M. Ryan, Constable G. Hale and Constable L. Petersen and the police dog, Buck, in the other left soon after to search the area. They were notified that Kerr had been taken into custody, and they returned to the Central Police Station last evening. Two shops in Marshland road were broken into on night and food, cooking utensils and cigarettes were stolen. Kerr was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment in April this year for assault causing actual bodily harm to a warder at the Invercargill Borstal. He escaped from Borstal after hitting the warder on the head with an iron bar. He was sentenced to a further year’s imprisonment for his escape and was committed to Paparua prison, and was later moved to the Sunnyside Mental Hospital. All police stations in Canterbury and all headquarters stations in the South Island were alerted and frequent warnings and requests for information about the escaped youth were broadcast yesterday.