A Whangarei woman has been jailed for helping her son avoid arrest - by enrolling him in a meditation centre.
Angeline McMahon, 44, was jailed for 18 months in the Whangarei District Court this week.
McMahon was found by a jury in December of attempting to wilfully obstruct the course of justice, The Northern Advocate reported.
The court was told McMahon took her son Brandon McMahon to the Vipassana Meditation Centre near Helensville twice in January 2007, enrolling him under the name Blake Akers in order to avoid arrest.
Brandon McMahon was on the run, wanted in relation to the bashing of a lifeguard at Ocean Beach in December 2006.
McMahon was arrested on March 23, 2007, her son was caught on May 9.
The crown argued McMahon provided ongoing and extensive assistance to her son for more than five months, stalling a legitimate police investigation.
Defence lawyer Doug Blaikie said McMahon's actions did not significantly delay her son's trial, which started 14 months after he was arrested.
