'Ridiculous' for prisoner to make own way home, says MP

It was "ridiculous" to expect a prisoner bound for home detention in Dunedin to make the trip from Wellington on his own, National MP Tony Ryall said today.

Police are searching for Peter Raymond Jones, 42, who was dropped off at Trentham railway station yesterday morning and was due to make his own way to Wellington Airport to catch a flight to Dunedin, where he was to start home detention.

However, he never made it to the airport and was last seen in Wellington, according to Upper Hutt police.

Mr Ryall said this morning expecting Jones to get to the airport on his own was further evidence of a liberal justice system.

"Now people are being expected to honestly wander home after being released from prison (to home detention)," Mr Ryall told NZPA.

"It's just ridiculous and the minister needs to launch an investigation to find out what's going on."

Rimutaka Prison site manager Dorreen Mackenzie would not give specifics about Jones' freedom dash but said that an investigation had begun.

"It is fair to say that standard practice was not followed in this instance and I am deeply concerned that this has happened," she said.

"The police were called immediately once it was found the inmate had absconded."

NZPA