TUMBLE INTO HOT MINERAL POOL

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31660, 22 April 1968, Page 1

TUMBLE INTO HOT MINERAL POOL

Escaped Prisoner Dies Of Scalds

(New Zealand Preu Association) NEW PLYMOUTH, April 21. A Hautu prison escaper, Christopher Guest, aged 19, died this morning after falling into a boiling mineral pool at Tokaanu last night.

His fellow prison escaper, Aterai Saifiti, gave himself up to the police minutes after Guest’s accident in an effort to save his friend’s life.

The tragedy brought an end to 48 hours of tension in the Tokaanu - T u r a n g i area after Guest and Saifiti disappeared from the Hautu compound at 8 p.m. on Thursday.

At 9 o’clock last night Saifiti arrived in a distressed state at Constable A. Dunn’s Tokaanu home saying that Guest had fallen into a hot pool. Constable Dunn immediately contacted Sergeant G. F. Gillies, Turangi, who radioed patrol cars and alerted an ambulance and Dr J. T. Barrett. Meanwhile, Saifiti directed Constable Dunn and a former Tokaanu policeman, Constable S. Bunn, now of Huntly, who was holidaying at Constable Dunn’s home, to the. hot pool about a quarter of a mile away. Guest was found lying 10 yards from the edge of the pool, severely burned but still conscious. He was rushed to Taumarunui Hospital in a critical condition but died at 4 a.m. today. Saifiti was taken into custody and spent last night at Rangipo Prison. He was transferred today to Waikeria Prison and will later be charged with a series of offences. Sergeant Gilles said Saifiti and Guest had been hiding

under the Anglican Church at Tokaanu and were believed to be attempting to slip out of the Tokaanu area under cover of darkness when the accident occurred. A suitcase full of property stolen from Mr K. Morar’s shop in Tokaanu, early last night was found beside the pool where Guest was burned.