ALLEGED INJUSTICE AS REASON FOR PRISONER’S ESCAPE

Greymouth Evening Star, 9 October 1948, Page 7

ALLEGED INJUSTICE AS REASON FOR PRISONER’S ESCAPE

Alleged injustices to himself and others associated with disturbances in the Auckland prison some time ago were claimed in the New Plymouth Court last week to have been responsible for the escape of Gordon Victor Joseph McKay, aged 28, from the New Plymouth prison. McKay, whose outlook had become warped over the affair, had written his complaints to the Prime Minister, Mr Fraser, and had received a long reply, said his counsel, Mr C. H. Croker. He was serving a sentence of three and a-half years, of which he had 11 months to go. He had been transferred from Auckland to New Plymouth. After escaping McKay made his way to a newspaper office and later gave himself up to the police.

“The prisoner,” said Mr Croker, “feels there is something completely and utterly wrong in the Auckland prison.” Counsel referred to the contents of the letter the prisoner wrote to the prison superintendent at New Plymouth. This suggested that his escape was the result of worry- concerning occurrences in the Auckland prison, where he was incarcerated at the time of serious disturbances.

Addressing McKay, Mr W. H. Woodward, S.M., said he realised his was not an ordinary attempt to escape and he believed the object was to make some kind of protest. McKay was convicted and ordered to come up for sentence within a year if called upon.