George Wilder (criminal)

George Wilder is a prison escaper and New Zealand folk hero. Wilder escaped from prison three times in the 1960s, and his escapades captured the attention of the public.

Wilder was in New Plymouth Prison on 17 May 1962. Part way through a four-year sentence for shopbreaking and theft related to his favourite Jaguar cars, he scaled the 10 metres (33 ft) high wall that day and was not recaptured until 21 July. During those 65 days, he captured the attention of the New Zealand public when newspapers began reporting several hair-raising escapes from the dozens of police tasked with his capture.

The stories of Wilder's escapades, included "wild drives through police barricades, evading large search parties, escaping a police dog by swimming across a river, and getaways by dinghy and horse - all with no hint of violence". At one stage he is reported to have even joined in a shoulder to shoulder search through rough country for himself, slipping away from his pursuers when the opportunity arose. These exploits seemed to have caught something in the public imagination and Mr Wilder was to a large extent cheered on by large sections of the New Zealand public.

Finally, he was sighted on 21 July near Whakamaru. A large force of police and soldiers, including three dogs, was mobilised to catch him. Constable Hamilton saw Wilder break from cover and gave chase, but Wilder dashed down a steep bank and disappeared from view. He was found a few hours later, hiding in a hole by a logging road, and taken back to jail.

Wilder escaped again six months later on 29 January 1963, this time from Mount Eden Prisons in the heart of Auckland, New Zealand's largest city. He escaped with three other prisoners by making a rope of sheets and scaling the wall with it. This time, he managed to avoid recapture for 172 days. It was during this period that his folk hero status was firmly established. Wilder would often break into holiday homes or premises and leave apology and thank you notes for the owners. People began leaving food out for him.

A popular musical group, the Howard Morrison Quartet, penned a hit single called "George, the Wild(er) New Zealand Boy" about him, which, despite being banned by New Zealand's state owned broadcasters, went immediately to number 1 in the charts and stayed there for some ten weeks.

...
Wikipedia