Prieur leaves?

Press, 23 July 1986, Page 1

Prieur leaves?

By

KAY FORRESTER

A flight plan for a Friendship was filed with the .Christchurch air traffic controllers at 1 a.m. for an emergency medical flight to Auckland. Minutes after the plan was filed, at 1.08 a.m., the aircraft took off from Wlgram, having been boarded by a number of persons who seemed to be in uniform. The officer at the Wigram control post said after the flight took off that it was a search and rescue flight and that he did not know where it was headed. Captain Dominique Prieur was spirited away from Christchurch Women’s Prison early this morning under cover

of darkness. An unmarked white Bedford van left the prison at 12.20 a.m. and headed direct for Wigram R.N.Z.A.F. base. There were at least two persons aboard. At the base, a waiting military aircraft appeared to be on standby with a lot of activity round it. Air Force officers at the guard post at Wigram’s main entrance said the van had contained only base personnel. They said they knew of no flight leaving the base early ths morning. Christchurch Women’s Prison guards told reporters about midnight that they knew nothing about Prleur’s possible flight to Auckland.