Nicholas Reekie in the dock at the Auckland High Court. Photo / Brett Phibbs
Nicholas Reekie in the dock at the Auckland High Court. Photo / Brett Phibbs
A barbecue planned at Auckland Prison for some of New Zealand's most high-profile and worst offending inmates has been cancelled as it was not authorised by management.
The barbecue was planned for inmates in the prison's special needs unit at the Paremoremo facility next weekend.
There are currently about 48 men in the unit - generally used to house child and other sex offenders who are not safe in the general prison population - including serial rapist Nicholas Reekie.
In May 2003 Reekie was found guilty of a 1992 kidnapping and rape for which David Dougherty was previously wrongly convicted.
He said barbecues had been held in the special needs unit previously, but once prison management heard about them they were banned in future.
Only the prison director can authorise such an event - and he had not done so for the unit.
"No one around the rest of the prison is getting a barbecue, so why should these odd-bods and deviants in the special needs unit?" the source said.
"I'm told they were organised by the unit manager who does not have the authority to make these decisions.
"It's just outrageous ... it's absolutely disgusting, I can't imagine what some of the victims of these guys are going to think."
Auckland Prison at Paremoremo. Photo / Doug Sherring
He did not know the reason or occasion for the barbecue, but said it was "disgusting" that the sex offenders in the unit were being treated.
"This simply sends the wrong message to these inmates, it tells them they are something special.
"And they're sitting down to a barbecue which other inmates can only dream of - it's just ridiculous."
Hours after the Herald contacted the Department of Corrections about the special meal, it was canned.
"A barbecue had been planned for prisoners in the special needs unit at Auckland Prison next weekend - it has now been cancelled, as no authorisation had been given by the prison director," a Corrections spokesperson said.
The department refused to answer specific questions about the barbecue, including why it was being held, who had organised it and how many had been held in the past without the prison director's approval.
"A simple barbecue meal such as precooked sausages and bread can be an appropriate way to mark a group achievement, such as a programme graduation," the spokesperson said
"They occur infrequently, and are often paid for by prisoners."
Sensible Sentencing Trust spokesman Garth McVicar was "horrified" to hear that the meal had been planned - and relieved when later told Corrections had cancelled it.
"Having supported the victims of some of these offenders we find it appalling that the perpetrators of these crimes can be afforded such luxuries," he said.
"We acknowledge that rehabilitation is part of what Corrections are obliged to do but barbecues for offenders from the special needs unit is stretching it a bit far.
