Two sent for trial on firearm charge

Press, 16 May 1985, Page 14

Two sent for trial on firearm charge

Two Devil’s Henchmen' motor-cycle gang members have been committed for trial by jury in the High Court on a joint charge of discharging a firearm at members of the Highway 61 gang, with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, on the evening of March 31.

After a preliminary hearing lasting a day and a half, Messrs R. C. Holland and C. W. Crawford, Justices of the Peace, in the District Court yesterday held there was sufficient evidence to commit Royce John Bartram, aged 23, unemployed, and Rex Bruce White, aged 28, a labourer, for trial.

Bartram was remanded on bail to June 7 pending a date for trial in the High Court. White was remanded to the same date, in custody.

Mr A. N. D. Garrett appeared for Bartram and Messrs P. H. B. Hall and J. H. Wood for White.

Sergeant G. C. Jones prosecuted. The police alleged that

Bartram and White, on Bartram’s motor-cycle, twice went past the Highway 61 gang headquarters discharging first a .22 pistol and then a shotgun but that Bartram was the victim of a retaliatory shot and suffered a severe hand injury. On returning to the Devil’s Henchmen headquarters he collapsed and a fellow gang member, Graeme Innes, who went to telephone for help for him from a public telephone box, was fatally shot. The public gallery yesterday was again cleared, on the application of the police, for the hearing of the case.

Prosecution evidence was completed yesterday with evidence by three police witnesses. The evidence of two of these, witnesses who had interviewed the defendants, was suppressed for yesterday’s hearing at the request of defence counsel, on grounds which were specified. At the completion of the prosecution evidence, submissions were made on be-

half of both defendants that there was insufficient evidence to commit them for trial.

It was submitted that there was no evidence of any shots having been fired by the defendants. Mr Garrett submitted that the police had not called Highway 61 gang members to give evidence of having been shot at. None of the evidence had identified White or Bartram as being on the motor-cycle seen in the vicinity of the Highway 61 headquarters.

Mr Wood submitted that no witness had given evidence sufficient to identify White on the machine in the vicinity of the other gang’s headquarters. There was also no evidence of Highway 61 gang members being fired at. Evidence in the case was totally inconclusive; there was no evidence of any shots having been fired by either defendant.

Sergeant Jones submitted that the totality of the evidence was sufficient to put the defendants on trial.