‘Risk of organ failure’: Dean Wickliffe loses 17kg during hunger strike in prison

Dean Wickliffe, 77, is on a hunger strike after he was arrested for breaching parole by living in his car after his approved accommodation was sold.

There are concerns Dean Wickliffe, 77, who is on a hunger strike after he was allegedly beaten by prison guards at Spring Hill Corrections Facility, is at risk of organ failure, his lawyer says.

According to RNZ, Wickliffe was arrested on March 5 after he was found in breach of his parole conditions for not living at an approved address.

Lawyer Sam Vincent said Wickliffe had been living in his car with his two cats after the farm he was approved to live at was sold.

Wickcliffe was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1972, after the murder of Wellington jeweller Paul Miet during an armed robbery. His conviction was later downgraded to manslaughter and he was released from prison in 2017 with permanent parole conditions.

In 1976, Wickcliffe became the first inmate to escape from Paremoremo Prison - the country’s highest security prison - for a few minutes. He went on to escape again, this time for a month, in 1991. He is the only person to have escaped the prison twice.

Following his arrest on March 5, Wickliffe was allegedly beaten by multiple prison guards after refusing to be double-bunked.

The incident left him with black eyes and a 7.6cm gash on his forehead.

But Corrections said the injuries occurred when he was being restrained after throwing something and taking a “fighting stance” towards staff.

“Following this, staff intervened and the prisoner sustained injuries while being restrained,” acting commissioner of custodial services Kym Grierson said.

Wickliffe received medical treatment at the prison and was later taken to hospital, where he stayed the night.

“One staff member involved in the incident is not currently at work,” Grierson said, adding that due to legal requirements as an employer, further information could not be provided while inquiries were under way.

In protest of his treatment and arrest, Wickcliffe has been on a hunger strike since March 10 and had lost 17kg, Vincent said.

“His energy is falling… We’re hearing there’s a real risk of organ failure.”

Asked what it will take for Wickcliffe to end his hunger strike, Vincent said that he wanted to be released.

“He’s worried that because he didn’t have a fixed abode when he was arrested, that he’s going to be locked up forever.”

The Parole Board will decide whether he will be released at a hearing on April 3.

Vincent said he and colleague, lawyer Annette Sykes, were working to try to get him released sooner, with a proposal to Corrections.

“We don’t think he poses an undue risk to the community. He wasn’t harming anyone.”

The lawyers had been “inundated” with offers from people to give Wickliffe somewhere to live.

Grierson said Wickliffe was drinking liquid but declined to eat.

“Our health and custodial staff are working together to support him and encourage him to resume eating.

“His health is being monitored by staff, including registered nurses and the prison doctor, and he is being offered a range of wellbeing and support services, including contact with local kaumātua.”

The Green Party is calling for Minister of Corrections Mark Mitchell - currently in India - to intervene.

“People in prison are human beings and have rights. The minister has a duty to ensure these rights are upheld. What we have heard from Dean is gravely concerning,” Green Party corrections spokesperson Tamatha Paul said.

Paul described Wickliffe’s protest as a plea for justice, highlighting concerns over his treatment and the broader prison system.

“Mr Wickliffe is endangering his own life to bring light to the cruel treatment and abuse that happens in prison, and the cruel system we have which picks up a homeless kaumātua living in his car with his cats and puts him back in prison for no good reason,” Paul said.

The Green Party maintains that rehabilitation and reintegration should be at the heart of the Corrections system, warning that prisons have repeatedly failed to prevent cycles of harm.

“We must build a justice system that holds rehabilitation at its core while upholding human rights, dignity, and humanity,” Paul said.

A spokesperson for Mitchell’s office said the majority of Corrections staff acted with integrity, honesty and professionalism.

“My expectation is if any staff don’t meet these standards, Corrections takes the appropriate action.”

He said it would be inappropriate to comment further while an investigation was under way.