A man who escaped from Auckland Prison at Paremoremo on 16 December, has been sentenced to a further nine months in prison and provided his own reasons for the breakout.

Convicted armed robber Kevin Polwart broke out on 16 December. He cut through two wire perimeter fences, and left a message reading ‘Catch me if you can’.

He was at large for more than six weeks.

Polwart was arrested last Thursday morning in Auckland after police received a tip from the public and has pleaded guilty to a charge of escaping from prison.

It was the second time Polwart had escaped: in 2001 he broke out of Rimutaka prison and was at large for 41 days.

He appeared in the North Shore District Court on Tuesday. Lawyer Mike Levett said Polwart’s escape was a bizarre attempt to show he was not a danger to the public.

Reason given in letter

A letter addressed to The New Zealand Herald was presented to the court.

The document outlined Polwart’s explanation for escaping. It said he was anticipating a Parole Board hearing and believed he faced further detention.

He said he saw the escape as a way to demonstrate that he was not a danger to the community.