Youth offender escaped from tangi for bootcamp friend while under OT supervision
Friday, 6 December 2024
Oranga Tamariki’s Deputy CE has fronted media as the search continues for an on-the-run youth offender.
One youth offender, who attended the Government’s new military-style bootcamp, died in a car crash last week.
Another former bootcamp participant absconded from another facility after being granted leave by the Youth Court to attend the teen’s tangi.
An investigation is under way into both incidents.
A youth offender is on-the-run after escaping from two Oranga Tamariki supervisors while attending the funeral of another teenage boy in OT care, OT Deputy CE Tusha Penny confirmed.
A teenage boy who was released from Oranga Tamariki’s Palmerston North bootcamp facility in October, died in a car crash last week.
One missing teenager absconded from custody last week after attending the tangi of the rangatahi who died, and another left a separate facility the next day.
The boy attending the funeral was accompanied by two OT staff, but, while amongst 150 other mourners, used the opportunity to abscond, Penny said.
Both boys had been released from bootcamp in October and were in the community phase.
Transition was going to be the most difficult part of the process, she said.
“These events may happen again, this is the transition phase, we are dealing with complex high risk youth offenders.”
The organisation had just had a significant tragedy, Penny said, after the death of one of the teenage boys formerly in their care.
Children’s Minister Karen Chhour said the young person killed in the crash “had just started to turn his life around, and from the stories I have heard, he was proud of what he was achieving”.
“I attended his funeral in a personal capacity to show my support for the family who were kind enough to include me in such a difficult time,” Chhour said.
The death had come as a “shock” to Chhour, she said, and her “heart goes out to this young person’s family, and I am heartbroken for them”.
Stuff understands that crash occurred last Wednesday, when a car crossed the centreline and crashed into a bus and another car.
From that crash, which occurred near Tirau, a dozen other people were injured.
Chhour said both OT and police were looking for the bootcamp participant who had been attending the teen’s funeral.
Labour spokesperson for children Willow Jean Prime said it looked like OT’s planning around supervision at the tangi had not been sufficient.
The government’s move to make bootcamps permanent was concerning, she said, as there was no information on how successful it was, or wasn’t.
“I want to know what has been the actual success of the in-residence part.”
Police confirmed they were actively seeking a 15-year-old who was wanted for arrest after breaching compassionate bail, granted to allow him to attend a tangi on December 3.
A “full review” into both incidents was under way, Penny confirmed.
In November, Chhour said one of the 10 teenagers who took part in the first military-style boot camp had allegedly re-offended, just a few weeks after leaving the facility.
The teenage boy was still serving a community sentence when the alleged re-offence took place.
At the time, Chhour said she remained confident the bootcamps were proving successful.
“I am confident the residential stage of the Military-Style Academy pilot is having success. Several of the boys left the programme with jobs already lined up. Each one has a mentor who is working with them and there is intensive, tailored support for each young person.”
This story was amended on December 6 to correct the timeline of when the teenagers were released from bootcamp and when they absconded from custody.