20 Jan 2015

Smith witness to be flown to NZ as 'thank you'

8:38 am on 20 January 2015

The Brazilian woman who helped with the arrest of killer Phillip John Smith will soon be holidaying in New Zealand, courtesy of a Nelson lawyer, reports Radio New Zealand.

The woman, in her late 20s, will be arriving with her mother on 5 March for a 13-day holiday and has a list of things she'd like to do in the country, including getting a tattoo.

Nelson lawyer John Fitchett said he bought the pair's flights last week as a thank you for recognising Smith at a backpackers hostel in Rio de Janeiro and alerting police last November.

He told Morning Report the woman had ruled out bungy-jumping while in New Zealand, but was keen to go on a mountain flight and visit cities including Nelson, Queenstown and Rotorua.

Smith flew out of Auckland on 6 November using a passport issued in his birth name Phillip Traynor. He travelled to Chile and then on to Brazil. He was on temporary release from Spring Hill prison in Waikato at the time.