KEY POINTS:
Double murderer Graeme Burton had several days head-start on the run while a warrant for his arrest sat idle in a court room and then at the police station over the Christmas break, the coroner's court heard yesterday.
Detective Inspector Shane Cotter, who led the police hunt for
Burton, told the court in Wellington that the police court orderly did not collect the warrant until five days after it was granted in the Wellington District Court on December 22.
The warrant was then not processed at the station until January 3 or 4 because staff were on annual leave.
Burton, who had broken parole conditions and was on the run from police, was arrested on January 6, the day he shot and stabbed to death father-of-two Karl Kuchenbecker.
The delay in processing the warrant followed a one-week delay from Corrections staff in taking enforcement action against Burton. That delay was because Burton's probation officer had taken a week's leave, which was not fully covered by her manager.
Mr Cotter said police would have had more resources searching for Burton - and an increased likelihood of finding him - if the warrant had been processed faster.
Police would have searched Burton's last known address, spoken to their informants with criminal connections, visited friends and associates of Burton and considered releasing a photo of Burton to the media.
When asked if the delay amounted to a lost opportunity, Mr Cotter said: "The opportunity was lost but I don't know how successful those inquiries would have been."
He conceded police would have had a better chance of finding Burton earlier, but "up to January 3 [when Burton and an associate assaulted a man in a downtown Wellington apartment], no one knew where Burton was, where he was living".
Mr Cotter also said the police surveillance squad, a team that specialised in tracking wanted criminals, was on leave over the Christmas break.
The court heard that December 22 was the Friday before the Christmas break. Though the orderly did not collect the warrant, Corrections staff left a phone message on that day with a police officer telling him of it.
Mr Cotter told the court he had been unable to confirm the message, and the officer it was intended for never received it as he was between offices at the time.
The warrant was not uplifted from the court and delivered to the prosecutions office at the police station until December 27, where it stayed until January 3 as staff were on leave.
It was then delivered to the records office and actioned.
Procedures for processing arrest warrants have since been tightened to ensure they are almost always processed on the day they are issued.
Burton pleaded guilty to Mr Kuchenbecker's murder and is serving a life sentence. The inquest is examining the factors that led to the death. It is due to finish today.
* SLOW TO ACT
Corrections took enforcement action against Graeme Burton on December 20. It admits it should have done so a week earlier.
An arrest warrant was issued on December 22, but was not processed until January 3 or 4 as staff were on leave.
A police squad which specialised in tracking criminals was not available over Christmas.
