Jury trial on 11 charges

Press, 8 October 1987, Page 30

Jury trial on 11 charges

Tria! by jury in the District Court on 11 charges, 10 of which relate to motor vehicles, will be faced by Richard Jeffrey Barker, aged 31. After a preliminary hearing, which was completed yesterday, Messrs J. B. Graham and J. H. Christensen, Justices of the Peace, held there was sufficient evidence to commit Barker for trial on air charges. There ' were four charges of theft of motor

vehicles, or alternatively four charges of unlawfully receiving the same vehicles, two charges of unlawfully taking vehicles, and a charge of burglary of the Vision' Hire warehouse in Sydenham. The charges related to alleged offences between January 22 and June 8. The six cars involved in the charges were together worth $35,500. Fourteen colour tele-

vision sets were taken in a burglary from Vision Hire. Twelve were new sets worth $1450 each. A prosecution witness, previously convicted of three related vehicle offences and the warehouse burglary, gave evidence on Tuesday Implicating Barker in some offences. He said Barker had acted as lookout during the burglary, but did not enter the warehouse building. On some of the vehicle

charges Barker was said to have been involved with the witness in taking cars, which were then driven to a rented farmhouse near Darfield, and worked on for planned sale or wrecking. Evidence yesterday was that when questioned by a detective, Barker denied involvement in any of the alleged offences. .'.'■ Sergeant M. J. South prosecuted and Mr A. M. Mclntosh appeared for Barker.