KEY POINTS:
Prisoner Arthur Taylor escaped from guards, handcuffed two together then fled, only to be recaptured when he fell through a toilet ceiling, the Crown alleges.
At the High Court in Wellington today Taylor, 51, pleaded not guilty to one charge of escaping from lawful custody and one charge of being party to another person - Manu Royal - having an airgun with an attempt to commit an offence.
He said he was "previously acquitted" of three charges of kidnapping, however Justice Ronald Young advised the jury to treat that statement as not guilty pleas.
Crown prosecutor Mark Anderson told the court Taylor was an inmate at Rimutaka Prison in March 2005.
On March 22 he was to attend a family group conference at Child Youth and Family (CYFs) offices in Wellington city to discuss the custody of his child.
Taylor was taken by prison van, handcuffed to one prison officer and escorted by two others.
Mr Anderson said CYFs staff met the van in an internal carpark.
When Taylor and the guards got out of the van they were approached by Royal who was armed with what appeared to be a firearm, but was actually an air pistol.
The air pistol was presented at the prison officers who were then told to unlock Taylor's handcuffs.
Taylor then took out a key and tried unsuccessfully to unlock his own handcuffs, before ordering a prison guard to do so.
Once free, Taylor then effectively handcuffed two guards together, Mr Anderson said.
Royal and Taylor then left the scene.
The Crown alleges Taylor climbed through a roof space in a nearby street and fell through the ceiling, landing in a woman's toilet. A woman was present at the time and saw Taylor leave.
Shortly afterwards he was arrested in a carpark.
Mr Anderson said Taylor's wife, Carolyn, was also involved in the incident, buying the air pistol a day earlier.
On the day the conference was scheduled she went to Rimutaka Prison in the morning and got some personal items from Taylor, including bank and credit card details.
She went into hiding after the incident and was found five days later.
Royal also went into hiding and was found on April 3, 2005.
Mr Anderson said Taylor aided, abetted and incited Royal then took active steps by handcuffing the prison officers.
"This was a planned escape by the accused."
The Crown says all three parties knew there was a family group conference at the building and the plan was therefore executed at this time, Mr Anderson said.
Royal's role was to assist in the escape. He received money from Taylor's family trust account and Taylor's wife gave him the air gun.
It was apparent Taylor had prepared for the escape as he had a key to unlock the handcuffs. This key was later found in the toilet into which Taylor fell.
Representing himself, Taylor told the court a lot of the Crown evidence would not be disputed. The case revolved around whether or not there was a plan, he said.
"What was Manu Royal doing there? How did he come to be there and who procured him to do that?"
Taylor said there was a mass of Crown evidence, but that a lot of their facts could not be proven.
"Where is the evidence that I got Manu Royal to do this?" he said.
No one knew why Royal was there, Taylor said.
The Crown plans to call more than 60 witnesses in a trial that is expected to run for two weeks.
- NZPA
