Court in chaos as escaper throws chair at witness

Press, 7 November 1978, Page 7

Court in chaos as escaper throws chair at witness

he courts

The No. 5 Magistrate’s courtroom was in chaos for several minutes yesterday: morning as policemen and; security guards wrestled i with a young man who had hurled a chair across the courtroom at a witness. Dean Tumene Ngarimu. aged 19, and Steven Lau-' rence Bradley, aged 25. were: both in court facing charges of assault, and attempting to: escape from prison. Mr D. C. Fitzgibbon acted: on behalf of them both. Gavin John Tuira, aged 25,! faced a charge of attempting! to escape and one of wound-! ing a prison officer. The three accused were: seated in the courtroom each! handcuffed to a police!: officer. Mr I. A. Milne, a senior |. officer at Addington Prison,: was giving evidence when! Ngarimu stood up, and using! his free hand hurled bis!’ chair at the witness, narrow-! ly missing his head. Mr B. A. Palmer, S.M. im-[ mediately, adjourned the!: depositions hearing while! policemen struggled withit Ngarimu. Extra security men with a guard dog had been waiting in the corridor outside the I courtroom in case of trouble, and they were called! in to get the prisoners under! control. After a violent struggle,! the defendants were rehand-i cuffed with their hands! behind their backs, a third!

handcuff securing them to ■ the chairs. Tuira was defending him-i J self and had previously' i asked the -Magistrate if he: i could have his handcuffs' removed in order to stand and; question the witnesses. Sergeant K. J. Humdelli 'had opposed the request,! •{ saying that the defendants' ■ were considered an “extreme! security risk.” The Magistrate refused! Tuira’s request. Donald Graham Corbin, a { prison officer, told the Court {that he had been on sentry ! duty at Addington Prison about 3 p.m. on September ; 17. He had noticed five ini mates in the exercise yard 'looking suspicious. He had gone out to investigate. I Witness said that when he! {got to the catwalk, 10 feet! above the yard, he had seen! { Bradley and Ngarimu trying j ito climb up on to the cat-' {walk. - { “I tried to push them! down, but they climbed upj and pushed me into the sen-1 ! try box and ran down the{ catwalk. 1 sounded the! {alarm,” said Mr Corbin. He had then grabbed a broom and started to give I chase, when Tuira had come{ behind him and hit him on! i the head. As a result of the {blow he had required seven stitches to the head. Mr Milne said that when he had heard the alarm he had run to the outside yard and had seen the three inmates on top of the catwalk.

>. Witness said he had then grabbed a long piece of ■ i building timber in order to '[stop the men escaping. 51 He had hit Bradley in the ■ chest with the. timber until 1; Bradley had turned around and put his hands up. 1 “When the other two saw! , Bradley give, up, they did! > the same," said Mr Milne. j ! When spoken to later, ! Bradley said that he and! I Ngarimu had been planning* to escape for six weeks. .1 Ngarimu said he had not : known anything about the ’ escape plans and that- he i suffered from flashbacks, be- ' cause of drug-taking and had • not known what he was doing. He had told a police i constable that he did not Icare what happened to him. J Mr Fitzgibbon told the! : Court that Ngarimu hadj 4 been using hard drugs since (the age of 15 and had : recently tried to set fire to I himself. He asked several! | police officers if Ngarimu’si I actions might not be those; iof a “demented” person. | ! After the taking of depos-| itions all three pleaded; [guilty to the charges against! [them and were committed! i for ’ sentencing in the Su-; ilpreme Court. j They were remanded in! i custody awaiting sentence on a date yet to be arranged. i Ngarimu also pleaded ! guilty to two charges of robbery. He was convicted and ■ committed for sentencing on both counts.