No Sign Of Escapers From Paparua Prison

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30109, 18 April 1963, Page 8

No Sign Of Escapers From Paparua Prison

The police theory is that the prison escapers, Edward Murray Moore and Leighton Noel Crow, have concealed themselves in a prepared hide-out in the Wainoni-Brighton-Burwood suburbs and have hidden the car they stole on Monday night after breaking out of Paparua prison.

Yesterday, up to 11 p.m., was a day of alarms and excursions for the police engaged in the hunt for the two criminals. In the 55 hours since Moore and Crowescaped, the police have had only three certain leads, the last one being when the two were sighted entering a sand dunes area north of the Avondale golf links at 7.30 p.m. on Tuesdav.

Since 7.35 p.m. on Monday when the police were notified that Moore and Crow had escaped, after a prison officer, Mr S. F. Rogers, had been assaulted, the hunt headquarters staff at the Christchurch Central police station has logged 343 telephone messages.

The messages logged have been those deemed to be worth investigating. This total does not include scores of obviously misinformed tips, and the hundreds of messages passed by radiotelephone from patrol cars. Yesterday, after a fruitless dawn combing of the Avondale golf links and surrounding area of farm land and sand dunes by a party of more than 40 men, the police investigated a report that a standard IV girl at. North New Brighton School had seen the escapers in the pine plantation behind the school.

Last evening, the patrol cars converged on a red car, with black top, in South Brighton, after a report from a resident. The car contained a courting couple. The nine patrol cars, and 20 men on foot, with three police dogs concentrated on patrolling the three eastern suburbs.

“We have had no real lead since Tuesday evening, but we have no reason to believe that the two escapers have left the area,” said SeniorSergeant H. McLean last night.

The police and prison officers are still maintaining the road blocks on the main roads leading from the city, at bridges over the Waimakariri river and the Rakaia river. Other road blocks further inland on the rivers and on the West Coast road are also being maintained. No burglaries or thefts in the eastern suburbs have been reported, and no vehicles converted.

The police believe the escapers have hidden the red Daimler sports car, with hard top, licence plates number 798-340, and have planned to paint it another colour. This would give them a chance of getting out of the area without stealing another car and raising an alarm. It is considered probable that the escapers have a hideout well stocked with food. Moore, when he previously escaped from Addington Prison, was known to have had at least three flats as hide-outs, by arrangement made through a contact before his escape. Moore, when captured after his previous escape, had dyed hi:, hair. The police have suspected all along that he did not move haphazardly into

the Wainoni-Brighton area after his escape. An area of 50,000 acres of swamp, plantations. sand dunes, just north of the Brighton and Burwood areas could give the escapers cover for themselves and a car. The sweeps made by light aircraft used in the hunt yesterday failed to reveal the car. Mr S. F. Rogers, the assaulted prison officer, was transferred from the Christchurch Hospital yesterday afternoon to Burwood Hospital. His condition is reported as satisfactory, and he is comfortable.