Depressed, says escaper

Press, 9 December 1976, Page 6

Depressed, says escaper

A 30-year-oid woman who | was found by the police an i hour after she had escaped I from the Paparua Women's 1 Prison said she had com- ' mitted the offence because she was depressed, the Magistrate’s Court was told yesterday. Atawhai Similai pieaded guilty to the charge of escaping. She was convicted and remanded to December 15 for a probation report and sentence by Mr B. A. Palmer. S.M.

Sergeant J. C. Rowe said the defendant had been convicted in the Wellington Court this year on a charge of aggravated rubberv. She had been sentenced to three years imprisonment.

In May, the Court of Appeal had reduced the sentence to one of 18 months and Similai was serving this term at the Papana Women’s Prison when she escaped. On December 1 at 10.35 a.m. the defendant had been on gardening duty in the prison grounds when it was discovered that she had gene missing, said Sergeant Rowe.

A 11.25 a.m. the police found her hiding in trees on Kirk Road, Templeton. In explanation, Sinulai told the police that she was very depressed and wanted to move to another wing of the prison. She said that she had decided to escape on the spur of the moment.

Rugby.- The successful Petons club rugbv coach, lan Upston. has been installed aa the new Wellington senior selector-coach. Upston supplanted Ray Dellabarea, the Wellington selectorcoach of two years, and three others on the first ballot.