Inmate harasses female estate agents

A Christchurch Prison inmate has been writing to female real estate agents asking them to send property details to his "private bag" address and then sending them obscene texts from his cellphone.

National law and order spokesman Simon Power released details of an email sent to the Real Estate Institute by a Christchurch real estate agency, asking it to inform female salespeople.

It said the inmate, Garrie Bainbridge, was writing to the women "making inquiries about properties for sale on the web". He asks for information to be sent to him at Private Bag 4726, Christchurch.

"This is Christchurch Prison," the email said. Offensive texts "which are of an obscene nature" were then sent to the women.

The prison had asked people not to enter into correspondence with the man and to refer any correspondence to the police or the prison.

Mr Power said: "I can't for the life of me work out how it is that someone in prison is able to get away with something like this that commands the attention of the Real Estate Institute. The second point is, how did he get his hands on a cellphone?"

Cellphones are classed as contraband in prisons.