Prisoner Found Hanged In Cell (Press, 25 July 1984)

Alan Joseph Revell, a 30-year-old man from Christchurch, was found hanged in his cell at Paparua Prison in the early hours of Monday morning, 25 July 1984. Revell had been incarcerated earlier in July for sex offences, beginning a four-year prison sentence on 13 July after being convicted on two charges of sodomy and two of indecent assault. The discovery was made by a prison officer who was conducting routine checks on the cells around 12.20 a.m. At the time, Revell was alone in a cell located in the prison's protection area. During the sentencing, Mr Justice Roper detailed the gravity of Revell's offences, noting that they took place over several years. Revell had admitted to approximately 100 incidents involving the same young boy, who had been subjected to indecent assaults since the age of nine. The judge remarked that as a result of these experiences, the boy had subsequently adopted a homosexual lifestyle. Following his sentencing, Revell requested protective segregation, a facility offered to inmates who may be at risk of harm from other prisoners. He had been held in this segregation wing since his arrival at Paparua Prison, and the findings following his death were a matter of concern for the prison authorities. The superintendent of Paparua Prison, Mr Humphrey Stroud, confirmed that Revell had applied for, and was granted, protective segregation, which further highlighted the complexities surrounding his imprisonment leading up to the incident.

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