Deportation in 2 weeks

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33155, 20 February 1973, Page 1

Deportation in 2 weeks

Leonardo Pagliara, who y esterday finished a prison sentence for selling the narcotic LSD, would be deported from New Zealand within two weeks. Superintendent G. E. Twentyman. of the Christchurch police, said last evening.

Pagliara was now be- • ing held in prison under a warrant signed by the Minister of Internal Affairs (Mr May) under the provisions of the Aliens Act, said Mr Twentyman. Pagliara, now aged 27, a I hairdresser, was originally i found guilty on October 6, I 1971, of selling LSD to an • undercover policeman. He was sentenced by Mr . Justice Roper to nine months . imprisonment. On December' ’,2, 1971, the Court of Appeal j increased the sentence to one: of two years imprisonment 1 after an appeal by the Crown. Neither court ordered deportation. On January 15, the Prime Minister (Mr Kirk) announ ced that the Cabinet had ordered the deportation of Pagliara. He said Pagliara had previous convictions for drug offences. At the same time Mr Kirk isaid that the Cabinet had

■ decided that in every case . where a non-New Zealander was charged with a drug offence, the police would be /instructed to seek a deportation order from the court. Subsequently a petition, . said to have attracted 600 signatures, was circulated, and the New Zealand Legal Association wrote to the Mini ister of Internal Affairs ask- ' ing for information about the . Cabinet decision. The petition said that Pagliara had already been tried ■ and sentenced by a New Zea- , land Court, and “now the New Zealand Government is imposing an extra punishment by deporting him to Italy, where he may face; i trial on the same charge.” Pagliara’s counsel (Mr G. R. Lascelles) met Mr May and officers of the Justice Department. Afterwards Mr Lascelles said: “I infer there will be no review of the position. I am unhappy about this, and must now consider whether an application for a writ of habeas corpus is in order.’ 1 j