‘Mr Asia’ trial

Press, 9 April 1981, Page 4

‘Mr Asia’ trial

‘Underworld ties in Sydney’

NZPA Lancaster Two leading Sydney underworld figures. Jimmy Shepherd and Peter Fulcher, both worked for a New Zealander, Terry Clark.-the "Mr Asia'’ trial was. told yesterday. The two men. both alleged to be major drug traffickers, gave orders to others in the international drugs syndicate. which police say, was bossed by Clark. But the Lancaster Castle Court was told by an admitted former courier for the syndicate, that Fulcher, Shepherd and a Chinese-Sin-gaporean named Choo Cheng Kui. but known as "Jack,” all . worked for Clark. Clark -- who changed his name by deed poll to Alexander Sinclair, the name under which he is charged here - - is said by the Crown to have been "the man. the top man, the ace'’ of the syndicate. As the prosecution wrapped up its case on the sixty-fourth day of the trial, a New Zealander, Allison Dine, aged 26, told the jury that although she took orders from "Jack.” Fulcher and Shepherd ... “I was working for Terry.” Questioned by the Crown counsel. Mr Charles Mantell, .Q.C.. after a day and a half of intense cross-examination by defence lawyers. Dine told the Court that Sinclair had been her boss and the others had also been working for him. Fulcher, a New Zealander, is currently in custody in Sydney awaiting trial bn a major heroin importing charge. Dine told the court that Shepherd, whom the Crown says, is a major dealer in heroin in the Sydney area — was a compulsive’gambler who won and lost large amounts of money, a braggart who liked to "act big.” Earlier, Dine, who has detailed her own extensive role in smuggling drugs for the syndicate, said she had a nervdus breakdown after she had been tailed by New South Wales police for several days. She also claimed that federal narcotics officers in Australia: had planted heroin in her Sydney flat.

Cross-examined .by Mr Eric Somerset-Jones’ Q.C. (for a New Zealander, Errol! Hincksman), she said she had ended her active involvement in the syndicate's work in May, 1979, after one of her couriers, Joyce Allez, had been arrested. The arrest had led to police questioning and allegedly beating up Allez's boy-friend, Michael, and to the questioning of both Dine and another courier. Kay Reynolds, a Queerislander, who gave evidence last week.

Dine, who has been granted immunity from prosecution in Britain, Australia and New Zealand, had not been charged at that time. She had regarded a pledge by narcotics officers to eventually arrest her as “an idle threat — just said to ■frighten me.” She told Robin Simpson, Q.C. (for Sinclair), that she had believed police were following her and was feeling “extremely scared.” The police had continued to tail her for about a week. Mr Simpson:' “Were you going frantic?” — Dine: “Yes I was a bit beside myself.” Mr Simpson: . . . “By this time were you scared out of

your mind?” — Dine: "Yes I was. I was very paranoid."

Dine agreed she had con- ' suited her doctor and had ‘ broken down in his consult- - ing room. He had told her 1 she was suffering from a nervous breakdown and [ advised her to go into hospital for a complete rest. She 1 had spent three weeks in a. Bondi Hospital, before re- : turning to her Neutral Bay flat. . 'ln about August, the flat had been raided by six nar-i , coties officers with a search* warrant. As they searched the flat, one of’ them had: produced a plastic bag containing heroin from the pocket of her fur coat. Mr Simpson: "This was a> narcotics squad plant?” — "Yes.” Dine told the trial judge,: Mrs Justice Heilbron, that she had never seen the bag. before. Later, her boy-friend, John Woodall, had told her* he had been beaten up by ■police who held a gun to his, head. She had been charged but. had been told "they werej really interested in Terry”| and would treat her leniently! if she made a formal state-i mcnt against Sinclair. Shej had refused to make a state-! ment and after being bailed' had fled Australia using a false passport in the name of Lisa Ann Morrison. Dine, who for some time was Sinclair's lover, admitted yesterday that she had also’had a brief affair withi Hincksman. , ! She had met the New. Zealander early in 1979 and he had helped her when she had fled from her flat fearing she might be arrested after Allez had been taken! into custody. Hincksman had taken a : make-up case containing, heroin and documents whichi Dine feared w’ould incrimi-! nate her if she was arrested, ] But she denied suggestions] from Mr Somerset-Jones that' Hincksman, said by the Crown to. be Sinclair's “trusted lieutenant” had been unaware of what the case contained. "He saw me put it (thei heroin) in there,” Dine said.i “He saw me putting everything that I wanted to get rid of in. there . . . anything ■ containing my name.” Cross-examined by Mr Robert Harman, Q.C. (for Karen Soich, the third New Zealander in the dock), Dine said she had met Soich in Auckland while Sinclair was in Mount Eden prison awaiting trial. She had gone to see Sinclair's lawyer, Mr Peter Williams, who had been away on holiday at the time, and ’ had ended up having dinner with Soich. Nothing had been said about drugs and Dine agreed with Mr Harman that she had told Soich nothing about her drug smuggling activities for the syndicate. When a New Zealander, Wendy Shrimpton, was arrested in Wellington on Boxing Day, 1978, after the two women had smuggled a Christmas Day consignment of heroin into New Zealand, she had contacted Soich, who had arranged to have Mr Williams defend Shrimpton. ■ Dine’s .evidence ended the Crown case, and the Court will not sit at all today as prosecution lawyers sift through a mountain of papers before formally closing their case.