T H E D O M I N I O N P O S T S T O R Y
Fury at prison pickers 01 March 2006
By BRUCE CUTLER and HAYDON DEWESA
Hawke's Bay landowner is furious that she was not told apple pickers working on her land were convicted sex offenders on a prison employment scheme.
The woman, who leases land surrounding her home to orchardists, only learned the identity of orange-clad labourers working nearby after reading The Dominion Post yesterday.
She said school-age children lived at the secluded Meeanee house, between Hastings and Napier.
"I'm very angry that no one told us about this. We didn't know there would be sex offenders. It's a worry when you live out here and there aren't many other people around."
Her suspicions about the workers were raised by their clothing.
"I looked out and saw a lot of the people were wearing orange clothing and shorts. I said to my husband `I wonder if they are prisoners?"'
Employees are usually told if prison inmates are to join them at their places of work on employment schemes. But the Corrections Department last night defended its decision not to tell the landowners in this instance.
More:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3588393a6000,00.html
2 comments:
I was thinking along the lines of- it should have been more obvious what they were.
Chains would help that!
Catch criminality or HIV, Hep, maybe even some yummy E-Coli, mmmm finger lickin good.
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