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A convicted pack rapist fathered a child while in prison - and was allowed out for the baby's birth, it was revealed yesterday.
Mt Maunganui businessman Peter Mana McNamara, 37, is serving seven years in Rimutaka Prison for the gang rape of a woman in Mt Maunganui in 1989.
He was convicted alongside former policemen Brad Shipton and Bob Schollum, who are serving eight-and-a-half and eight years respectively for kidnapping and raping the 20-year-old.
Rimutaka Prison manager Chris Smith said McNamara made arrangements with the prison doctor to provide a semen sample for his partner. The prison was not aware of it, as arrangements were subject to patient confidentiality, Smith said.
McNamara's partner, Joanne Percy, gave birth to a boy in Tauranga Hospital in January, and the department granted McNamara permission to attend the birth.
- NZPA