Charge of intimidation denied

Press, 30 September 1988, Page 5

Charge of intimidation denied

A woman gave evidence in the High Court yesterday of receiving a telephone call from a man asking her to advise her friend she would lose her house among other things if the friend gave evidence in court relating to an assault charge. The accused, Darryl Brendon Harris, aged 25, unemployed, pleaded not guilty to a charge of attempting to dissuade a woman from giving evidence in the District Court by threats to damage or otherwise dispose of her home and property. This related to charges of assault laid against four others.

The trial, before Mr Justice Williamson and a jury, will continue today. Mr B. M. Stanaway appears for the Crown and Mr J. W. Appleby for Harris.

A woman gave evidence that on April 23 a man, giving his name as Darryl Harris, telephoned her ah<l asked if she could speak to the complainant to try to talk her out of

going to court to give evidence. Harris had said that if his brother was convicted on the charge of assault the complainant would lose her house among other things. He said he had called the witness because she was a close friend of the complainant and that if anybody could talk her out of it, the witness could. The witness said she then hung up. She was quite .scared. She telephoned the complainant. The police were called and arrived soon after. While the police car was parked outside her house, the witness said, she saw three cars pass her house. Two she recognised as belonging to the “Harris family.” Their house was in the same district. On May 12, a man saying he was Darryl telephoned and asked if she had spoken to the complainant about the previous matter. She told him she had not, and hung up.