Mother to be released

Press, 16 February 1984, Page 1

Mother to be released

PA Wellington A woman has been released from jail 2% weeks early by the Minister of Justice, Mr McLay, in the interests of her baby daughter, aged seven months. Deborah Holdem, aged 22, was returned to jail last week while Mr McLay considered whether she should serve out a sentence interrupted by her escape from Paparua Prison in Christchurch in June, 1982. Holdem was caught 18 months after her escape. While she was at large she had married and given birth to a child. She is expecting another in June. After a North Shore court appearance last week, Holdem was transferred to Wellington’s Arohata Women’s Prison, where she could keep and properly

breastfeed her child while Mr McLay considered an appeal by her lawyer. Mr McLay announced yesterday that he had decided with “considerable reluctance” to recommend to the Governor-General that she be released immediately.

He said he ordered the release “only because it was clearly in the interests of Holdem’s seven-month-old child.”

“Escaping from custody must be regarded as a very serious matter. Normally I would not even consider an early release for a prisoner who had escaped,” Mr McLay said. Mr McLay said Holdem would be subject to the Court’s supervision under a nine-month deferred sentence imposed in the District Court at North Shore on the escaping charge.

At the time of her escape she was serving an 18month sentence for supplying a class A drug. Mr McLay said the effect of his decision was that Holdem would not now serve out the remainder of her sentence — about 2¥2 weeks.