SUPREME COURT Witnesses missins

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33933, 28 August 1975, Page 7

SUPREME COURT Witnesses missins

A robbery 7 trial which was due to start in the Supreme Court yesterdayhad to be postponed until September 11 because two Crown witnesses failed to appear.

Drago Karl Vrhovnik.l aged 17 (Mr P. F. Whiteside) - and John David Bryant, aged 18 (Mr T. Sissons), both unemployed, were remanded in custody to September 11 by Mr Justice Macarthur. Both prisoners have pleaded not guilty to a charge of robbing Zahar Dementyannovitch Tefelov of $2l. a Commonwealth dollar and a packet of cigars of a total value of $22.50 on May 31. The alleged offence took place in the men’s underground lavatory in Cathedral Square. Warrants have been issued for the arrest of the two witnesses who failed to appear — Tefelov. aged 17, and Eric Mouhani Rarere.

Mr G. E. Langham, who appeared for the Crown, applied for the adjournment. His Honour said that he wished to make it plain that he was not going to" grant adjournments for an indefinite period. If the Crown was unable to proceed on the substituted date he might well have to decide that no future adjournment would be granted. The attitude of the two accused and their counsel in not opposing the adjournment was a proper one, his Honour said. Tefelov twice failed to appear at the Magistrate's Court hearing of the robbery charge. He gave evidence after being arrested.