Thomas letter claims victimisation

Press, 9 April 1979, Page 6

Thomas letter claims victimisation

PA Wellington Arthur Allan Thomas has accused the Justice Department of victimising him. He made the accusation in an open letter smuggled from Hautu Prison, where he is being held. He addressed it “To whom it may concern.” In the letter. Thomas tells of restrictions placed on him beyond those on any other prisoners. He tells of his frustrations during his first six months at Hautu, of being assigned to the “menial job of compound cleaner, where I worked every day under supervision picking up paper and cigarette butts.” He savs it is the only time a person arriving at the prison has been restricted to the compound. Other new arrivals at the prison are allowed to start work immediately on the prison farm and in the forest. Thomas also tells of extra restrictions on who is allowed to visit him and the problems he faces when making his weekly telephone call. He says that 'other prisoners are allowed the call

automatically but that he has I' to apply to the prison author- ‘< ities first. ; j He also describes how a|< request to join the prison's i bowls team was refused. !< “Put simply, the Justice n Department is not giving me; ’ a fair go,” he says. He says he is under no’ ( doubt that he is being victim- ij ised. He believes the reason | is the department’s desire to ; ■ keep his controversial case!, out of the news. I; “The Department of Justice i is frightened,” he says. “It is j frightened of me, of my case, and of the rising tide of pub-; lie sentiment in my favour.”!; Thomas says he will con-I tinue his struggle to clear r himself of the Crewe mur- ‘ ders. “This is a struggle in which j I I swear I shall endure as' 1 long as I have a heart which! beats, a brain which thinks,! I and a hand which writes,” he says. : Thomas’s decision to have 1 the letter smuggled out of th“ 1 prison and his request that it I' be published means he will J almost certainlv be repri- : manded bv the prison author- | ities today. Any privileges to i i which he is could be' <

(withdrawn and he could be I once more restricted to the prison compound picking up [Cigarette butts. Hautu’s superintendent declined last evening to comment on matters relating to Thomas. Thomas at present works on the farm digging fence posts. In spite of his having been a farmer before his con[viction for the Crewe murders he has not been allowed !to do practical farm work. The text of Thomas’s letter is: “On October 12, 1978. ! after serving almost eight [years as a maximum then’ medium-security prisoner I arrived at the open institu-j tion of Hautu Prison to await parole on my sentence of life imprisonment. “I had been informed bv the Parole Board of March. 1978. that I was considered a minimum-security risk and had every reason to believe ’that once I arrived at an [open institution I would be treated in the same way as any other minimum-security prisoner. “This has not been so, and it looks, furtheripore, as

i if the Justice Department in- [ tends to keep me and my lease ‘under wraps’ for as [long as possible. ! “From the time I arrived ihere I have been treated differently from other inmates land denied many of the privi-i ’ leges other inmates here are i ’granted. I “Firstly, for the first six I j months of my stay I was j [forbidden to leave the: I prison compound and its immediate surrounds. This has never happened before to my [knowledge. ’ “Whereas other inmates' |are immediately put to work [outside the farm or in the forest I was assigned to the ■ menial job of compound ■ cleaner where I worked every day under supervision ’ picking paper and cigarette: butts. “The last Parole Board (March, 1979) has permitted me to work on the farm, which I am now doing, but if I thought that this meant I would be treated just like any other prisoners (as the department told me it would) ’ I was sadly mistaken. “While other inmates are, permitted any visitors they*

please at week-ends and pub-|] lie holidays my own visitors ’ have been severely restricted. ' “I have recently been given ' a list of ‘official visitors’ by!: the superintendent and anv-i body not on that list is for-j ] ’bidden to see me without! [special permission from the’ [prison administration. | “No other inmate I know ; [has ever had this restriction ’ [placed on him. “While other inmates are; freely allowed to make one • phone call per week, I am, not. If I want to call I must [ first secure the express per-;, mission of the superintendent’; or chief officer. “Finally, although the de-, partment seems quite happy ; to allow me a degree of free-1: idom while I work, this free-;; dom apparently does not ex■tend to liesure activities. h “While any other inmate is'.’ ordinarily allowed to travel ’ to Turangi and to other’ prisons for supervised sport [: and recreation. I am not so[: permitted and my recent ap- [ ’plication for admittance top ’rhe Hautu Prison bowls team ■ has been categorically re-!. .fused by' head office. 1 “I a/fo denied the normal i 1

[privilege of social intercourse! with the free world. Putj quite simply, the Justice; Department isn’t giving me a fair go. I have a virtually un-j [blemished conduct record in! I prison and have earned every [ [privilege which other in’mates seem to have of right? ; “Moreover, I have been.; ’given no reason as to why I; [should not expect equal’ i treatment. \ “These unusual conditions; ’are merely thrust upon me [without a word of expiana-i [tion from anybody. That I[ [am being victimised is with-i ■ out doubt but the exact rea-1 [sons for this victimisation [are unclear. “I have thought about it and only one explanation ■ seems to fit: the Department ’of Justice is frightened. It is ’ frightened of me, of my case, :and of the rising tide of’ ■ public sentiment flowing in my favour. “The Department seeks to [isolate me as much as possible from the outside world: ; to sweep under the carpet [and hide from view the dreadful mistakes and injustices which led to my. [wrongful conviction for the’ [Crewe murders. i

“They are aware, as is the public, of the miscarriages of justice, some deliberate, some accidentally, which led to my imprisonment for! life. i “If the Justice Depart-1 ment wishes to prevent the 1 truth in this matter from emerging by continually suppressing vital evidence, by embarrassing my many supporters, and by curtailing my personal contacts with the free world, then let them do so. Let them return me to Paremoremo for another 10 years if that is what they want. “But let them also know that no matter what restrictions they place upon me I shall continue my struggle to clear myself of 'the terrible crime for which 1 have been imprisoned. “This is a struggle in which f swear I shall endure as long as I have a heart which beats, a brain which thinks, and a hand which writes.” The letter was signed by Thomas and was in his own handwriting. Its authenticity was confirmed by a person who knows Thomas’s writing style.