Prieur moved to Ardmore

Press, 19 September 1985, Page 1

Prieur moved to Ardmore

Staff reporters and PA The French secret service agent, Captain Dominique Prieur, had her third taste of New Zealand prison accommodation yesterday when she was transferred to the Armed Services corrective establishment at Ardmore, near Papakura Military Camp, amid heavy security. Prieur, who is being held on charges connected with the Rainbow Warrior bombing, was transferred from Auckland’s Mount Eden Prison to Christchurch Women’s Prison on September 5.

Ardmore was specially prepared for Prieur’s latest move yesterday morning. More than 12 Army trucks ferried servicemen to the facility to ring the perimeter with barbed wire before she arrived. Until then, Ardmore had no fences or walls. The move was announced by the Acting Minister of Justice, Mr Caygill, yesterday- ...

He said Prieur had been moved in the interests of her proper protection, to provide easier access to defence counsel and consular officials, and because she will appear in court in Auckland on November 4. The Defence Department will temporarily vacate Ardmore while Prieur is held there. The building was last used as a civilian prison several months ago to ease over-crowding at Mount Eden. Speculation continues that

attempts will be made to free Prieur. The superintendent of Christchurch Women’s Prison, Mr Jack Allen, said that prison guards were concerned about reports of possible attempts to free her. “They are only human. It seems beyond the realms of possibility in New Zealand, but we don’t know. Everybody thought about it,” he said. Prieur’s lawyer. Mr Gerard Curry, flew from Auckland to visit her in Christchurch early this week. He had earlier told “The Press” that he would start moves to have her transferred back to Auckland if he felt she was dissatisfied with her access to legal advice. Mr Curry also said that both he and Prieur were “shocked” by the Justice Department’s earlier decision to transfer her to Christchurch without consulting either of them.

Mr Curry could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Five extra prison officers guarded Prieur while in Christchurch, and she will remain under the control of the Prison Service at Ardmore. Defence sources indicate the Army has moved out of the establishment, and would not be patrolling the area outside the barbed wire.

The authorities are not commenting on whether Major Alain Mafart, the other accused in the bombing, will be moved from Paremoremo maximum security prison to join Prieur. Military prisoners had been transferred from Ardmore to a temporary facility at Paparua Military Camp, said an Army spokesman. He said that he could not comment on the security at Ardmore or whether any changes had been made to accommodate Prieur. Ardmore is a 43-year-old wooden building, made by the Americans during World War 11, and which is used by the Armed Forces as a corrective training centre.