Jurisdiction declined on woman prisoner

Press, 12 September 1986, Page 23

Jurisdiction declined on woman prisoner

Jurisdiction was declined by Judge Hay in the District Court yesterday On a woman, at present serving three years imprisonment for manslaughter, for an injury offence arising from her attempt to strangle another prisoner. Judge Hay committed Sharlene Karen Campbell, aged 24 (Mr G. H. Nation), for sentence in the High Court on a charge of injuring Dale Frances Mulvihill with intent to cause her grievous bodily harm.

The offence occurred in the bath-house of the maximum security block at Christchurch Women’s Prison on the evening of July 26. The injuring charge, to which Campbell pleaded guilty at her previous court appearance on August 29, replaced a charge of attempted murder.

The attempted murder charge was withdrawn on the application of the police. Declining jurisdiction when Campbell appeared for sentence yesterday, the Judge said he had read the summary of facts in relation to the offence and “I don’t make any comment on the appropriateness of the charge.” It was a very grave crime, and he was not

prepared to accept jurisdiction in the District Court, the Judge said. He committed Campbell in custody for sentence in the High Court on September 25.

The police statement relating to the attack on Mulvihill, read at a previous Court appearance, was that Campbell followed Mulvihill into a toilet area and while Mulvihill was washing her hands Campbell placed a nylon stocking round her neck from behind. Mulvihill screamed.

Campbell tried to stop the screaming by placing a hand over Mulvihill’s mouth, and pulling the stocking with her other hand. Mulvihill screamed again, and prison staff heard the cries and went to her assistance.

Mulvihill suffered bruising around her neck from the pressure of the stockingg. She also suffered shock.,

Campbell later handed prison authorities a letter in which she stated she had intended to kill Mulvihill.

When interviewed by police, Campbell said she did not like Mulvihill because she was “a nark,” and had planned to get her.

Before the attack, Campbell had turned taps on to cover any noise.

Mulvihill, a former civilian computer operator at the Central Police Station, and girlfriend of a former undercover policeman, Wayne Haussmann, is serving five-years imprisonment for importing heroin.