National queries murdered teen's at-risk status

National has questioned why teenage offenders such as murdered North Shore 17-year-old Liam Ashley are not automatically classed as at-risk offenders by the Corrections Department.

Liam died in the back of a Chubb Security van while being taken from the North Shore District Court to the Auckland Central Remand Prison.

A man has been charged with his murder, and five separate investigations into Liam's death have been launched.

Last week it was revealed that the prisoner transport contract between Corrections and Chubb specified offenders aged 20 or under were to be kept apart from adult inmates, unless agreed to by the department.

That is a higher level of protection for young prisoners than offered by the law, which says that, where practicable, inmates aged 18 and under should be held separately from adult prisoners.

With the "where practicable" rider not applicable in this case, the various inquiries into Liam's death will be trying to establish whether Corrections agreed Liam should travel with adult offenders, or whether Chubb permitted a teenager to travel with adult inmates in violation of the contract.

Corrections Minister Damien O'Connor last week directed that the "where practicable" proviso be dropped until the outcome of inquiries into the killing are known

Yesterday, National law and order spokesman Simon Power asked why Mr O'Connor could not be similarly proactive about changing the Department's "escorting an at-risk offender" form, which does not specify age as an at-risk category. "There's no reason at all why this form cannot be changed immediately," Mr Power said.

Last weekend the Sunday Star-Times reported that the guards who escorted Liam from the court building were not given a risk assessment for him.

In Parliament yesterday Mr Power asked Associate Corrections Minister Mita Ririnui why age was not listed as an at-risk category when the Corrections deal with Chubb said inmates aged under 20 must be segregated.

Mr Ririnui said he was told the segregation procedures were followed, but the circumstances surrounding Liam's death were under investigation "and I cannot comment before the report is released".