Man admits holding hostage

Press, 4 February 1986, Page 8

Man admits holding hostage

PA Palmerston North A man who held a woman hostage for 22 hours in a Palmerston North flat last month was a danger to himself and to society, the District Court at Palmerston North was told yesterday. John Howard Barnes, aged 20, a labourer, pleaded guilty to unlawfully detaining a young woman without her consent on January 13, and to four charges of illegally using firearms. Judge Toomey ordered suppression of the woman’s name. Barnes was remanded in custody until February 21 for sentencing in the High Court on the hostage charge. He will be sentenced on the firearm charges in the District Court after the High Court sentencing. The police prosecutor, Sergeant lan Sutherland, said, the police believed the defendant was danger-

ous, not only to himself, but to members of society. “He has previous convictions for similar offences and the police believe that the Court is entitled to be told that he has been the subject of other armed offenders squad situations,” Sergeant Sutherland said.

On an earlier occasion the defendant had fired at an approaching police vehicle and had had to be physically restrained. Sergeant Sutherland said that at the time of the hostage incident the defendant had been living in a Wood Street flat, with another occupant, Alan Ivan McKay. Mr McKay had shared the flat with a young woman before she left in January. The defendant and Mr McKay occupied separate bedrooms and Mr McKay’s room was locked when he was out, Ser-

geant Sutherland said. At 4.45 p.m. on January 13, the woman went to the flat to wait for Mr McKay to come home. When she looked throught a rear window she saw the defendant crouched down at the foot of Mr McKay’s bed.

The defendant had made a dummy out of clothing under the bedcovers and was pointing a rifle at the bed. The woman believed that the defendant was playing some sort of game, and she had asked to be let inside. The woman noticed that a loaded .303 rifle held by the defendant belonged to Mr McKay. When she ordered the defendant to unload the firearm, the defendant told her she was going to be his hostage, Sergeant Sutherland said. _

Mr McKay arrived home.soon after and the defendant presented the

rifle at both Mr McKay and the woman. He ordered Mr McKay to leave the property and detained the woman at gunpoint. At 6 p.m. the police were alerted. From that time the woman feared for her life, said Sergeant Sutherland. The defendant allowed her to telephone the police several times giving them instructions and warnings not to approach. Later he had numerous conversations with the police. The police mobilised armed offenders squads to set up cordons in the area.

Throughout the ordeal the defendant maintained he was acting on instructions from an imaginary person he named as “the professor.” He made repeated demands for the release of Irish Republican Army prisoners. W'

Sergeant Sutherland said that the defendant had fired three shots from the flat during the siege, one of them through a window in the general direction of the police.

The, hostage constantly had to calm the defendant and on numerous occasions he made threatening moves towards her, Sergeant Sutherland alleged.

On one occasion the defendant had made the hostage telephone the police, scream, and tell them that she had been stabbed. The police almost made a rush on the flat after that

Soon after 2.30 p.m. on January 14, the defendant agreed to release the hostage. She was allowed to leave the flat with the firearm and the defendant later surrendered himself, said Sergeant Sutherland.