SENSATIONAL ESCAPE

NZ Truth, Issue 834, 12 November 1921, Page 6

SENSATIONAL ESCAPE

Dangerous Man At Large Allan Aitcheson and Fellow Prisoner Bid for Liberty.

(Prom "Truth's" Dunedin Rep.) • Allan Mitchell Aitcheson, -who had been found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm to Constable Hesse, and sentenced to nX r e years' imprisonment with hard labor, escaped from the Dunedin Gaol 'on Sunday morning. There also escaped with him a onearmed prisoner, Arthur Dominic Plunkett. Plunkett is the youth who very

Who Escaped from Dunedin Prison, cleverly beat Lazarus Balkind, the moneylender, for £ 300, and .who, a few days prior to his get-away, had been sentenced to four years' detention for reformative purposes. Plunkett was detained iix the Dunedin prison pending removal to Invercargill on Monday. Aitcheson was to be removed to a northern ■prison the same day.

The escape from the Dunedin prison yard, where the pair were exercising, was quite a sensational one. They had .an Iron gate and several other obstacles to negotiate, also a jump of nearly twenty feet from a window. After this they had the pouter yard to cross and main wall to climb over. All this they succeeded m doing 1 , and also m reaching the open hills and scrub country above Green Island and Whare Plat.

When reported last seen on Monday last the pair were said to be making for Whare Flat direction. Both are well used to the big country and bush. All day Sunday, m the heavy rain, the police and detectives scoured the wild districts around Mount Grand, but without result. The police consider Aitcheson to be

A DESPERATE CHARACTER and Judge Chapman, m sentencing him, took a very serious view* of the assault on the constable. He said that Jiad on© blow fallen m a slightly different direction the constable would have been killed, and there was no assurance that he would not suffer through life. . • ' «

When Aitcheson assaulted Constable Hesse a few months ago he bolted to the bush,, and -was at large for about three weeks before foe was captured. He was only arrested then after a severe struggle.