Testimony abandoned

Press, 27 March 1981, Page 6

Testimony abandoned

NZPA. Lancastei •The appearance of an Australian witness, Kay Reynolds. was put off at the “Mr Asia” trial yesterday as minor evidence dragged on. Jne prosecution plan to call the admitted drugs courier on the fifty-fifth day of the drugs conspiracy and murder hearing was at first delayed and then abondoned. Miss Reynolds is to return to the court today when, the progress of the case permitting, she will begin her evidence of an international drugs conspiracy that began in Australia and New Zealano.

Site arrived at Lancaster Castle yesterday morning Irom a nearby safe hou<e with an armed Police escort. It was understood that a convoy of thres unmarked, cars in which she was; thought to na'e ravelled; v.es in fact a decoy, but this could not be confirmed by Lancashire police However, it was confirmed that she was in the castle, and waited in a guarded ante-room all day.

Miss Reynolds finally left with her escort after the leading prosecution counsel, Mr Michael Maguire, Q.C., ' said other matters would oc- . cupy the Court until the adjournment. 1 The first hitch in the day’s proceedings came when defence counsel fol-1 lowed through unexpected lengthy cross-examinations : of police witnesses about ex- ' hibits in the case. 1 Then the reading of detailed Crown evidence about ex- 1 hibits and corroborative 1 statements took up more £ time. It became clear that the ; prosecution wished to wind < up all its minor evidence, >' leaving the jury free to con- s centrate on the allegations c from Miss Reynolds and two other admitted couriers as c

I the final stage of its case, j The possibility that legal ■argument would fore-run (Miss Reynolds’ evidence re(mained slight. i Miss Reynolds, aged 31,j (who was born in Queensland, was recruited to the ; organisation by another i admitted courier to give evidence, Allison Dine, the I Court has heard. i In the prosecution’s open-i ling address, evidence of her I | international travels carryling drugs was outlined to 'the jury. j The Court resumed yester-

-(day with an increased re- | porters’ contingent from the •|British national press in anil ticipation of her appearance. ■I Instead, counsel for the alleged syndicate head, Alex-) jander Sinclair, rose to re-) jsume a cross-examination of (a Scotland Yard detective! labour the contents of a brief case seized by police. j 1 Mr Robin Simpson, Q.C., suggested that several pieces of paper listed as being found in the briefcase were

in fact put there after it was taken by police. Inspector Arthur Whittick said that almost two years after the brief case had been seized, he could not remember whether the papers had been there. Counsel for a Lancashire man, Mr Billy Kirby, then reopened a cross-exam-ination of Detective Constable John McDonnell about entries in the exhibits book that he kept. Mr McDonnell was stood down, but was to reappear twice for further questioning as the day went on. The prosecution case’s administrator and junior counsel, Mr Rhys Davies, read detailed evidence of substances found in clothes or belongings of the accused. Particles of cannabis and cocaine were found in a

leather jacket that' Sinclair wore, the Court heard.

A brown travel case user by Andrew Maher, tht i admitted murderer of ths New Zealander, Christophe’ Martin Johnstone, ' Wai agreed to contain particly of heroin.

Mr Davies continued with the evidence of a British Post Office investigator, whc collated details of international telephone ca [] s made from several of the defendants’ homes.

The telephone at 57 Staf. ford Court, Kensington, London, where Sinclair lived, at one stage ran up a bill’ o f 2461 sterling (about $5185) the Court heard. .A

Mr Davies paused f OI breath in the midst of reciting one telephone number which prompted Mr Maguire to say: “I think he's’grown considerably older since the case started.”