Escapee bailed to Dunedin
AUCKLAND: A woman who scaled two fences to escape from a managed isolation facility has been bailed to a Dunedin address after appearing in court yesterday.
Suzanne Marie Derrett (43) arrived from Brisbane on June 27 and returned a negative Covid19 test three days later.
She was the first of four people last week to escape from a managed isolation facility.
On Saturday, July 4, she allegedly absconded from the Pullman Hotel, in Auckland, on foot shortly before 6.20pm.
She was located soon after a couple of blocks away at 8pm.
Derrett appeared before Judge Christopher Field in the Auckland District Court where she faced one charge of failing to comply with a Covid19 order.
She has been on bail since her arrest with no issues.
Judge Field remanded Derrett without plea and allowed her to travel to Dunedin but said she must appear back in the
Auckland District Court on July 27.
After applying for legal aid, and spending much of the morning waiting to be assigned a lawyer, Derrett’s case was finally called after noon.
She sat in the back of the court — wearing dark sunglasses — supported by her brother, who had travelled to Auckland for the appearance.
The court heard Derrett had finished her isolation period and been tested twice for Covid19, both tests returning clear results.
‘‘She was absent for a very brief time . . . on day seven,’’ her lawyer said.
A medical report was presented to the court outlining mental health issues relating to Derrett.
Her lawyer opposed media applications to photograph Derrett in court and sought a remand on bail without plea.
Judge Field refused the media applications and remanded Derrett without plea for two weeks.
It was reported yesterday that Derrett was listed missing in Queensland on April 20.
Police there had appealed to the public for sightings of the 43yearold after she was last seen leaving a health facility in Nambour, on the Sunshine Coast, about 104km north of Brisbane.
‘‘Police hold concerns for Suzanne’s safety as her behaviour is out of character,’’ they said at the time.
It is unclear whether police in Queensland located Derrett before she left Australia to come to Auckland.
The five police officers who came into contact with Derrett while capturing her had to undergo Covid19 testing and go into selfisolation for two weeks.
For the first time in nine days there were no new Covid19 cases in New Zealand yesterday.
There were 25 active Covid19 cases in New Zealand.
Directorgeneral of health Ashley Bloomfield said it was 73 days since the last case of community transmission in New Zealand.
But he noted the World Health Organisation had reported overnight the single biggest day of new Covid cases worldwide — more than 230,000 in 24 hours. — The New Zealand Herald .