Footage has emerged of convicted murderer Phillip Smith being led handcuffed through Rio de Janeiro Airport by several plain-clothes Brazil police, before boarding a plane bound for Chile – the first step in his deportation to New Zealand.
Smith appears unfazed by the police presence, and when a suited officer tries to replace his metal cuffs with strong plastic ties, he moves his arms away, saying "Who are you?"
He then tells the officer not to tighten the ties too far, repeating "That's enough, that's enough".
The clip ends with Smith grinning at the camera while making a peace sign followed by a one-fingered salute.
He is being escorted by three New Zealand police officers, who will stay with him for the entire journey.
Smith and his escorts departed Rio de Janeiro earlier this morning, after completing deportation formalities. It follows the decision of the Brazil Federal Court last week ordering deportation within 10 days.
Police say arrangements are in place to manage Smith's arrival back in New Zealand. They have not confirmed when he will arrive in the country, but 3 News understands it could be 4am tomorrow morning.
Smith fled New Zealand earlier this month while on temporary release from Spring Hill Prison, where he was serving a minimum 13-year sentence for the 1995 murder of the father of a boy he had been molesting.
He used a passport under his birth name of Traynor to skip the country for Chile, then Brazil.
It led to an international manhunt involving the Brazilian Federal Police, where Smith was eventually found in a popular international backpackers in Rio de Janiero.
He has been held in custody in a Brazilian prison since his capture.
Footage via O Globo
3 News
source: newshub archive
