Fugitive dad netted after four years

A fugitive father killed in a shoot-out with New Zealand police after nearly four years on the run with his children maintained a bushland hideout stocked with firearms and ammunition, the force said yesterday.

- 

Wellington -

Tom Phillips' days as a fugitive came to a bloody end this week when he was killed in a police shoot-out in the Waikato region. His three children were safely recovered.

Police detailed yesterday their time in the bush and how they were able to stay undetected for so long.

"Phillips and his children have been very mobile and moved frequently," New Zealand police commissioner Richard Chambers said. The family's mobility made it a "challenge" for authorities to find them, he said.

Authorities also took great caution in dealing with Phillips because they knew he was armed and dangerous.