Retrial ordered

Press, 22 May 1978, Page 7

Retrial ordered

PA Wellington ( The Court of Appeal has ! quashed a Supreme Court j i conviction in Christchurch of;' Gregory Carl Reed, aged 25,,. on a charge of • importing ! i heroin, and has-ordered'a new I; trial. 11 The Court granted leave to ! i the appellant to call fresh! evidence on expert examina- ( tion of the franking of maga- j ■ zines in which heroin was I ’ found. 1 Reed was alleged to have;' imported 8.6 grams of heroin,' l

i valued at $12,000 on the New ( Zealand market, by secreting jit in a number of magazines i posted in Bangkok to two j addresses in New Zealand. ■ But Reed, a wool store worker, who was sentenced to six years jail for the alleged offence, alleges that the magazines were posted in Bangkok before he arrived there. He says, too, that the weight of the mailbag in which they were alleged to have arrived in New Zealand was less than the weight of the magazines.

? j For the appellant it was! ’ also alleged that his thumb-1 s prints found on the maga- j j zines were put there when he handled them while being; ? interviewed by the police. ( I In an oral judgment, Mr ’ Justice Woodhouse said the! t Court was satisfied that the j I evidence from the Post ' I Office was not reasonably ( i available at the, time of the ? j trial and that that evidence! II was reasonably credible. ) j The Court comprised Mr ( I Justice Woodhouse, presidfjing, Mr Justice Speight and' ' Mr Justice Roper.