A Moment In Crime: Phillip John Smith the murderer, the great escape and the international manhunt Last Minute Instant News
I remember this case and glad some kind of justice finally caught up to this monster. Convicted murderer and accused paedophile Phillip John Smith has been captured hiding out at an international hostel in Rio, Brazil. A Moment In Crime is written and hosted by senior journalist Anna Leask – who has been covering crime and justice for NZME since 2005. Today, Herald podcast A Moment In Crime goes back to Smith’s escape and explains just how police tracked him down and hauled him back to New Zealand. The murder inquiry, named Operation Green, uncovered a large quantity of strong evidence incriminating Smith, but at first he denied responsibility. He maintained his innocence as his trial began in July 2001, but later in the proceedings changed his plea to guilty and was sentenced to life imprisonment. The motive for his crimes was unclear, but police who arrested him believed that a "lack of permanent sexual relations" was a contributing factor. John Phillip Smith, 47, know