Prisoner escaped, found month later in commune

Press, 26 December 1986, Page 2

Prisoner escaped, found month later in commune

A prisoner who escaped while being taken to the District Court for sentencing for a number of of-, fences on November 14 was found by the police on December 23 at a commune near Greymouth, said the prosecutor, Sergeant J. E. Dwyer, in the District Court on Wednesday. The defendant, Darryl Robert Fraser, aged 22, pleaded guilty yesterday to a charge of escaping from a constable’s custody on November 13.

Judge Frampton remanded him in custody to appear on January 14 for a probation report and

sentence on this charge, and for sentence on seven charges of theft, three of burglary, one of possessing instruments for drug taking, and one of committing a breach of a periodic detention order.

Sergeant Dwyer said in relation to the charge of escaping that Fraser was transferred from Mount Eden Prison to Addington Prison on November 13 to appear in the District Court for sentence on other charges. He was in police custody and as the vehicle taking him from Addington Prison to the District Court stopped at the

prison gates he got out and ran off. Fraser was found on December 23 at a commune near Greymouth. He gave no explanation for having escaped. TRAFFIC CHARGES

On five traffic charges Dean Richard Gerrard, aged 19, a labourer, was remanded without plea to January 14, on bail. The charges, all on December 21, were of driving in Pages Road and Woodham Road when the proportion of alcohol in his breath exceeded 500 micrograms a litre (the level alleged was 1000 micrograms), driving while disqualified, failing

to stop as soon as practicable when signalled to do so, failing to remain at the place where an evidential breath test was taken until after the result of the test was known, and intentionally obstructing a traffic officer acting in the execution of his duty.