4 Sep 2015

Hunt on for latest offender to remove monitoring anklet

1:53 pm on 4 September 2015

An Auckland man is the latest violent offender to abscond after removing his electronically monitored anklet.

Casey Cowan

Casey Cowan Photo: Supplied

Police are looking for Casey Cowan, 44, from Avondale, who was sentenced to six months' home detention in March after he was convicted of committing violent offences.

Cowan removed his anklet shortly after midday yesterday, the police said.

He is Maori, of medium build, and 175 centimetres tall with short dark hair.

His escape came less than a week after another Auckland man, Thomas Shortcliffe, allegedly removed his ankle bracelet.

Cowan was the fourth offender with an electronically monitored anklet to go on the run in the space of a month.

Zane McVeigh, 19, who was convicted last year of detaining a woman with intent to have sex, cut off his anklet on 28 August - the day before Thomas Shortcliffe went missing.

McVeigh handed himself into police less than a day later.

A child sex offender, Daniel Livingstone, 27, went missing for more than a day earlier in August after managing to remove his anklet.

Livingstone abducted and raped a 10-year-old girl in Whangarei in 2006 and was under an extended supervision order following his release from prison last year.

The spate of escapes prompted Corrections Minister Sam Lotu-Iiga to ask officials earlier this week whether there were stronger electronic bracelet models that could be used.

There are just over 4000 people currently on electronic monitoring.

Get the RNZ app

for ad-free news and current affairs