Prisoners Get 3 Years

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32166, 9 December 1969, Page 32

Prisoners Get 3 Years

(N.Z Press Association) AUCKLAND; Dec. 8. • ", 1.,. , Two Paremoremo gaol prisoners " had , r t,he,i.r extended by three years when they appeared in the Magistrate’s Court today, on three jpint . chapgjes assault and a joint charge of damaging two televisioneameras in the prison. Atenai Saiilti; aged 20. and Dempsey Robej-ts- aged 22; both prison, guilty to the,charges before Mr A A. Coates, S,M.

They were sentenced to three years for. the assaults and; two years; for-damaging the cameras,’terms to be'concurrent bUt cumffiative upon (he , present . being served, ■ '•

Mr M. J.: A. .Brown, of >the Crown Law-Office, said that at about' 10,10'gan, ;on November 27' Saiflti dhd'j,Roberts were under the'supervision- of two officers while ’cleaning the corridor at' Deblock leading from the West side. of the, wing to;the- east pide. -riq On completing se,task they! were seen to walk through an open grill on the east side of the wing 4 and talk to two inmates employed in the canvas Shop. 1 At-this tipje there'Was a break for tea and one' of the prison officers instructed. Saifiti and Roberts to return to their own side of the wing where tea had been provided forthem. Both . refused to , comply

with the order. The Incident was reported to another . officer who told the inmates again to return, to the west side. of the wing. They refused again and the 'prison officer closed the grill' oh the two inmates and - gave. them five minutes to think the affair over. .After that . the, two again refused, ttt move and, were told titof tbey, would be placed "bn. report”. Soon, after Roberts said: “Let us through, we’ll, work.” 1 A prison officer unlocked the grill and Roberts, followed by Saifitj, walked through the main, corridor. Immediately after walking through the grill Roberts punched ’ one of the officers about the body. and face, knocking him to. the floor. Simultaneously,, Saifiti at- ! tacked .the other prison officer, dragging him to'theiflbor and punching kicking him. This, officer received several : heavy punches'ih the face and ! was.dated. . ’ ’ Third Officer

; Meanwhile, the: other officer managed to . disengage ; himself sufficiently to.be able j to.open the cqdtpal grjll lead- ; ing to another wing. He i then dragged the dazed officer ! to safety flirough the grill. A third officer who'had been helping-also received ! punches'to the face and head ; and received a glancing blow from Roberts’s foot before escaping to the central grill, ; which was immediately locked after he went through. •TMe trouble was reported to - central icontrol at- the;-prison ! block ’and the deputy-super-intendent. Mr R. J. Miller, went to the scene, where the

two Inmates were behind the locked grill. They held broom handles. Mr Miller told them to put the broom handles down and come out but they refused. Mr Miller than directed that the two inmates were to be overpowered. However, when the attempt was made by prison officers to ente( through the grill it was discovered that the grill could not be opened because fragmented pieces of broom handles had been rammed into-the lock. Water Hoses

While barricaded in the corridor Saiflti and Roberts turned on high-power water hoses which they directed toward the officers trying to open the grill. They also began smashing two television cameras mounted in the corridor where they had barricaded themselves. Eventually, another grill was opened to the rear of the two inmates and they were overpowered and secured. Two of the three prison officers involved in the scuffle had to be treated in hospital. The third one was uninjured. The television cameras were damaged to a cost of $350. Council for the accused (Mr W. E. Finn)’ said the incident was a flare-up which was not uncommon in prisons. It had got out of hand. “This was a brutal, unprovoked and deliberate assault,” said the Magistrate. “This sort of behaviour is going to be very sternly and severely punished by the courts.” He said that both the accused had long lists of previous convictions for offences,! including assault.