'Mr Asia' trial Controversy over girls

Press, 21 May 1981, Page 4

'Mr Asia' trial Controversy over girls

NZPA ' Lancaster Evidence of three Australasian girl witnesses who form a key part of the prosecution case in the “Mr Asia” trial was at the centre of legal argument yesterday. Questions about the admissibility and effect of what they told the drugs and murder trial were raised by Mr Michael Hill, Q.C., representing a defendant, Jack Barclay, on the eightyfifth day of the marathon > hearing at Lancaster castle. The girls, a former Auck- ; land kindergarten teacher, ; Allison Dine, Kay Reynolds, of Queensland, and Carol ; Cader, of Melbourne, are all ; said by the Crown to have I worked at one stage as ; couriers for an international 1 drugs syndicate. i Barclay, aged 27, a Lon- '

doner, is &ie of 12 people facing charges after the death of a New Zealapder, Martin Johnstone, whose handless body was found in a flooded Lancashire quarry 18 months ago. The Crown say he was killed after short-changing the drugs organisation of which he was a leading member. The Crown further claimed that Barclay, who denies charges of conspiring to supply and import drugs “played an essential part” in "the alleged conspiracy. Yesterday Mr Hill, making a legal submission in the absence of the jury, referred to the evidence of the three girls and to that of Benjie Bennett, a black American witness who told earlier in the hearing of alleged drug

dealings with a New. Zealand defendant, Alexander Sinclair, .

Sinclair, formerly Terry Clark,’.A denies 'Johnstone's;, t murder. He has pleaded not'J; guilty to conspiring, to im-' t port drugs and guilty to conspiring to supply them. Mr Hill said .it was his :, submission that there were is two alternative views of the \ evidence of the four.; witnesses. The-proper view, he sub-'i mitted, was that their. evi-G dence was admissible top prove the nature-and,, of to import ; drugs against all contesting defendants. -Yi.

But if that was right, the consequence so far as Mr Barclay was concerned was that there was “a gap in the prosecution's case.” ' S