Donnelly dropped in for a beer — with armed police

Press, 28 November 1977, Page 1

Donnelly dropped in for a beer — with armed police

The police have recaptured John McKinnon Donnelly and discovered how he escaped from a holding cell in the Supreme Court at Christchurch on Friday.

Donnelly was arrested at a party in a Gloucester Street flat early on Sunday morning.

He will appear in the Magistrate’s Court today on charges of escaping from custody, and unlawfully taking two vehicles. The vehicles, both Ford Cortinas, were taken from a builder’s yard in Chester Street, and from Patten Street.

Detective-Inspector P. S. Seaman led a team of 17 detectives and uniformed police to 580 Gloucester Street about one o’clock on Sunday morning. They believed that Donnelly had already been to the flat and had left five or 10 minutes before. Mr Seaman said that he decided to keep everybody in the flat. Had they left, Donnelly would have been told the police had arrived.

The police left their cars

in Linwood Avenue and ran to the house. Mr Seaman posted policemen at the back of the house and across the road.

A party was in progress at the flat, so everyone was told to go into the lounge. Two detectives were left in the lounge at different times, while the remainder waited at the front of the house. The police were armed with pistols. Those posted inside the house had unloaded their pistols, Mr Seaman said. About four o’clock Donnelly arrived, wearing a brown wig. Mr Seaman said that he did not recognise Donnelly at first. “I locked him up last time and I couldn’t pick him,” he said.

Donnelly went into the lounge and asked for a drink. A few minutes later one of the policemen tapped Donnelly on the

shoulder and took his wig off. Donnelly was holding a bottle of beer in his hand, and he jumped on to a chair in the comer of the room. "We were afraid of a free-for-all,” said Mr Seaman, “and it came very close to it. I thought it was a very explosive situation.” Mr Seaman said that Donnelly was in the same holding cell in the Supreme Court about a month ago and had knocked a hole in the wall then.

"When he got back into the cell the other day he couldn’t believe his eyes,” said Mr Seaman. “This would explain now why they did not hear any banging.” Occupants of the Gloucester Street flat have complained about the behaviour of the police during the arrest.

A young woman said that policemen had drunk liquor while waiting for Donnelly.

Mr Seaman said he would not deny that the detective in the lounge had had a drink. “I wasn’t worried about that,” he said. “I had been called back at midnight and we were working in our own time.” He denied that a policeman had pointed his pistol at someone in the flat when Donnelly was arrested, as the young woman had asserted. Donnelly was handcuffed from behind after a short struggle. He was quickly led away to the police vehicle in Linwood Avenue.

No-one else was arrested, but one man was detained at the Central Police Station. Occupants of the flat said that he was a friend of Donnelly’s. Another man who attended the party said that in the struggle immediately before Donnelly’s arrest, Donnelly was lifted from the ground with his hands held high behind his back. He said that Donnelly kicked out to regain his feet. When he was finally handcuffed, his wrists were blue, the man said.

Mr Seaman said no-one was treated for injuries after the struggle. He said that there were probably many others he could have arrested once Donnelly’s wig had been removed. “But Donnelly was the man I was after,” he said. Occupants of the flat are sure that this is not the last the police will hear of Donnelly.

“He’ll be out before Christmas,” they said. Donnelly has escaped from custody eight times.