Airports have been advised to be on high alert for a fugitive who escaped police custody yesterday and may try to skip the country.
Ollies Siaea was remanded in custody on kidnapping charges, but tricked police staff by pretending to be another person who had been granted bail, and simply walked out the door of Manukau District Court.
Police believe Siaea made a deal with a bailed prisoner to switch places. He stepped forward, signed the other man's bail bond and walked free.
The other prisoner re-appeared in court today charged with helping Siaea to escape.
"It is clear that he did have the cooperation of another in that custody area of the court to enable himself to present himself as someone else," says Detective Inspector Jim Gallagher.
Police admit the incident has revealed a loophole in the custody process.
"Every system has its vulnerabilities, and clearly the purpose now will be to identify those and improve where possible to minimise any further possibility of this repeating itself."
While Siaea was remanded in custody for kidnapping a 24-year-old Cambodian man, police say he is not considered dangerous, but airports have been alerted because he has links to Samoa and Australia.
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