Sinclair’s costs reduced

Press, 18 November 1982, Page 6

Sinclair’s costs reduced

NZPA London Alexander James Sinclair (formerly Terrence John Clark) has had his court costs reduced from $2.3 million to $403,000 by an appeal court in London. Sinclair had previously been given leave to appeal against his life sentence, but this appeal against conviction was dismissed. The decision to reduce the court costs imposed on Sinclair came after a day of ■legal argument on the validity of Mrs Justice Heilbron’s orders that the case had cost $2.9 million. Sinclair, aged 38, is serving a life sentence for the murder of his former lieutenant, a New Zealander, Christopher Martin Johnstone, whose handless body was found in a flooded quarry in Lancashire in 1979. Lord Justice O’Connor,

who sat with Mr Justice Pain and Mr Justice Stuart-Smith, said Sinclair had the right to come back to the court to seek a further reduction. But he was not encouraged to do so, the “Daily Telegraph” reported. Sinclair was not represented at yesterday's hearing. The judges also awarded substantial court cost reductions for three other persons involved in the case.

Leila Constance Barclay, aged 51, described as the banker for the English section of Sinclair’s world-wide drug syndicate, had two years cut from her 13-year sentence, the “Guardian” said. She also had her court costs reduced from $11,500 to $2300. The 14-year sentence imposed on her lover, Frederick Charles Russell, aged

41, who also pleaded guilty to drug conspiracy, was reduced to 11 years and his $46,000 costs ordered reduced to $4600. He is also serving life for the murder of Johnstone. Costs of $23,000 against Andrew Samuel Maher, aged 29, were reduced to $4600. Maher is also serving life for the murder of Johnstone. An appeal against conviction by Keith William Kirby, aged 29, and appeals against conviction and sentence by Errol John Hincksman, aged 34. were dismissed.

Kirby bought the weights and ropes used to sink Johnstone’s body, and is serving a life sentence. Hincksman, a New Zealander, is serving 10 years for drug offences. A fifth man, James Smith, aged 30, was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder. Sinclair was said to have headed a drug syndicate which worked in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Singapore, and Thailand. , He had planned to extend his activities to the United States and Britain.