Prison escaper had offensive weapons

Press, 1 November 1984, Page 14

Prison escaper had offensive weapons

A prison inmate carried and used offensive weapons in New Brighton on September 15 while he was at large after having escaped from Paparua Prison, where he was serving a prison sentence for similar offences. This was said in the District Court yesterday when Guy Mitchell Boardman, aged 23, appeared on a variety of charges. The defendant had four charges relating to September 15 dismissed after a defended hearing yesterday. Two offences on that day of carrying offensive weapons, a pair of numchukkas and a studded wrist band, were held by Judge Frampton to have been proved and the defendant was convicted of these offences. He also pleaded guilty to a charge that on September 24 he assaulted another prisoner in the holding cells of the District Court.

On these charges, and on charges to which he earlier had pleaded guilty, of escaping from Paparua Prison and unlawfully taking a prison truck on September 10, he was remanded to November 14 for sentence.

The charges which were dismissed were entering the storeroom of Fanners Trading Company, Ltd’s shop in New Brighton, theft of two bank books belonging to an employee, in the storeroom, and two charges of assault with intent to facilitate his escape after a .theft had been committed.

The charges on September 15 related to incidents in which evidence was given that the defendant was seen by shop employees to walk out of the storeroom. An employee found that two

bank books were missing, from his coat which had . been in the storeroom. The defendant was followed and approached by., the employee and shop’s manager, refused to return, to the shop, and kicked the,* employee and then hit an-. other person who had' chased and apprehended, him. He had used a pair of > numchukkas during the: struggle with this person, , and wore a studded wrist band. He told the police the bank books were in a box near the employee’s coat, and they were later recovered from there. When questioned about the matter he also said he had gone into the shop looking for a friend and he; walked into the storeroom' but realised it was the wrong part of the shop so', walked out again. No defence evidence was called but defence counsel. (M. W. Rosenberg) said* there had been no proof, shown that the defendant’ intended to commit an offence when he entered the storeroom. ’ When accosted by the men outside the shop the defendant felt that he, him-; self, was being assaulted' and acted in his defence, not' having stolen anything. When the Judge re-, manded the defendant for sentence on five of the nine, charges, Sergeant W. J. McCormick, who pro-; secuted, asked that at the sentencing date a deterrent sentence be imposed be-, cause of the many instances in the community of offensive weapons being used in association with other offences, by prisoners during periods of escape from prisons.