A dangerous escaped prisoner is keeping his head down after five days on the run.
Grant Lawrence Simon, 48, escaped from a work party at Kaitoke Prison, near Wanganui, shortly after noon on Friday.
He was serving a sentence of preventive detention after convictions in the High Court at Hamilton in 1990 on abduction and rape charges.
Constable Chris Kelly, of Wanganui, said police had received "no confirmed sightings".
"He doesn't have a lot of contacts in this part of the country that we're aware of," he said yesterday.
"He's either already left the area, or he's lying low and fending for himself - hopefully in some isolated country area where he'll stay until we can pick him up and give him a home."
Simon was considered "extremely dangerous and volatile" and should not be approached under any circumstances, he said.
"At the moment our CIB team is following up on all the contacts he has made recently from prison to try to find out whether this was a spur-of-the-moment thing or whether he had been planning it for some time."
Wanted man
* Grant Lawrence Simon, 48, is described as a Maori of solid build with short, dark hair and a bushy moustache.
* He is 1.71m (5ft 7in) tall and was last seen wearing a black-and-blue checked bush shirt, blue jeans and brown workboots.
* Simon is considered to be extremely dangerous and should not be approached under any circumstances. If you have seen him or know where he is, phone your nearest police station.
* Another escaper, Mathew Moala, 31, also known as Maslu Moala and Masiu Heimoana, is believed to be heading north after escaping from police custody last Monday outside the Blenheim courthouse, where he was appearing on aggravated robbery charges. Police said Moala was also considered dangerous.
- NZPA
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