Escaped prisoner cornered in suburbs

Paul Francis Robinson is recaptured by police in Omahu Rd, Remuera, last night. Picture / Dean Purcell

Auckland police cornered an escaped prisoner last night after a tipoff sparked an hour-long search through the streets of Remuera.

Paul Francis Robinson was recaptured at 8.30pm, 12 hours after he escaped through the roof of a Chubb security van with three other prisoners.

A member of the public called police last night after seeing Robinson, 23, near Market Rd in Remuera.

Police responded to the sighting by sending patrol units, the Eagle helicopter and a dog unit to scour the area.

Residents were told to stay inside but most were oblivious to the huge search going on around them.

Just over an hour after the sighting a ground patrol found Robinson, who had been described earlier in the day as dangerous. He was near Omahu Rd. It is understood he did not try to resist police.

Senior Sergeant Marty Brown said Robinson was back in police custody, with the three other men he had escaped with.

The four managed to get through a ventilation shaft in the security van's roof while being taken from Mt Eden remand prison to the High Court.

They were travelling with five other prisoners and were all on their way to the same depositions hearing.

The van, with two guards in the front, had stopped in traffic at the intersection of Khyber Pass Rd and Symonds St about 8.45am when the escape occurred.

Two of the escapers were chained together. They were chased by a guard along busy New North Rd and the other two, wearing individual handcuffs, split up.

A local cafe worker said a customer had watched the group climb on to the roof and run off.

The two men handcuffed together were caught in Exmouth St allegedly trying to car-jack a vehicle they had flagged down.

Detective Senior Sergeant Dave Lynch said the sole occupant of the car stopped and the men allegedly yanked open the door and tried to pull him out.

"He wasn't physically injured but he was pretty shaken."

The guard caught up with the pair and struggled with them while the car driver took his key out of the ignition and threw it out the window.

Mr Lynch said the guard was "instrumental" in arresting the pair. The third prisoner was caught by police not far from the prison van.

While the three others were all recaptured within 15 minutes of the escape, Robinson fled and was seen running through a carpark off Khyber Pass Rd.

Robinson is one of 10 men, including the three other escapers, facing a combined 297 charges relating to more than 160 alleged offences.

They are alleged to be part of an organised crime racket responsible for the theft of valuable artworks and $1 million worth of high-performance cars.

Police, Chubb Security and the Department of Corrections, which contracts the private company to transport prisoners, are investigating the escape.

All four men have been charged with escaping custody and two face charges connected to the attempted car-jacking.

Mr Lynch said police had been concerned that there might be an attempted escape but had no specific tip-off or information about yesterday's incident.

"It seems to have been an opportunistic escape," he said.

Security guards have been posted outside the courtroom during the three weeks of depositions.

The hearing was transferred to the High Court because of the large number of defendants and lawyers involved.

After yesterday's escape, the hearing was delayed for the morning.

Police have spent seven months investigating the crime ring and allege the group gained more than $50,000 through the fraudulent use of credit cards.

The accused face a range of charges, including taking part in an organised criminal group, possessing a firearm, aggravated robbery, burglary and theft.