A man who is accused of extremely serious offences and is facing possible jail time has been allowed to have his case heard next year, giving him time to rent out his house to tenants before his case continues.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is facing charges of possessing of child abuse material, negligently deal with proceeds of crime, unauthorised possession of a traffickable quantity of firearms, and possessing an unregistered category c longarm.
The man's lawyer made an application to the court for an adjournment to allow her client time to rent out his house prior to having his case heard.
"He's at risk of a custodial sentence," she said.
She said the basis for the adjournment application was to allow her client time to get his finances in order prior to proceedings - which could see him receiving a jail sentence - as he has a mortgage that costs $750 per fortnight.
"He does have prospective tenants," she said.
"He has a lot of stuff.
"He seeks time to get his own property out of the house and into some storage facility and then time to clean the house so it's appropriate to move in."
OTHER NEWS:
The man's lawyer asked for a two month adjournment.
Judge Gamble said if the matter was adjourned, there would be a significant delay and it would likely to not be heard until sometime next year.
The judge said it was not an ideal situation to be adjourning a matter for that length of time
The judge asked prosecutor Bruce Nibbs on the prosecution's position on the matter.
Mr Nibbs said the prosecution was ready to proceed.
"It's not desirable but it's in the courts hand," he said.
The court heard the man had not yet had an arraignment/ plea hearing.
"There is an interest in having an arraignment sooner rather than later," Judge Gamble said.
The judge granted the adjournment and said the matter would be heard in the next circuit - beginning May 2023 - regardless of the offender's housing situation.
"He needs to fully understand that, there will be no further adjournment for that reason."
Judge Gamble said an arraignment/ plea hearing needed to be heard before then, which was agreed to by both parties.
"It will be facilitated in the relatively near future," he said.
Digital subscribers now have the convenience of faster news, right at your fingertips with the Bendigo Advertiser app. Click here to download.
