A young man, charged with offences relating to the death of a 21 year old allegedly as a result of dangerous driving is pleading not guilty.
In the Brisbane Magistrates Court, Samuel Collins is charged with manslaughter or, in the alternative, dangerous driving causing death arising out of events that took place on July 14, 2011, at Zipfs Rd at Alberton.
Alex Jones, of Bosscher Lawyers is representing Mr Collins.
Mohammed Hijazi, the alleged armed bandit appeared in Brisbane Magistrates Court on charges of robbery, assault and drug related matters relating to a number of separate robberies in Brisbane’s southside.
Hijazi, represented by Bosscher Lawyers, was denied bail in Court yesterday and will next appear on May 6.
Daniel Morcombe’s accused murderer has been committed to stand trial in Queensland’s Supreme Court.
Mr Cowan will face the Supreme Court accused of child stealing, deprivation of liberty, indecently dealing with a child, murder and interfering with a corpse.
Cowan did not apply for bail at the end of proceedings in Brisbane Magistrates Court.
Cowan’s lawyer Michael Bosscher said he could concede there was a prima facie case but could not consent to it being sent to trial.
Outside court, Mr Bosscher said he would discuss with his client whether they would make an alibi claim within the 14 days allocated.
The Committal Hearing into the abduction and murder of Daniel Morcombe continued in the Brisbane Magistrates Court yesterday where eight police officers gave evidence. Six of those were in a closed court room.
Of the evidence given, an undercover police officer told the Court that in a recorded conversation taken on the 9 August 2011, the accused Brett Cowan described how he offered Daniel a lift on 7 December 2003 and how he took him to a house on a remote road in Beerwah. The Court heard that Cowen told the undercover police officer that he had tried to molest Daniel, but Daniel struggled and tried to get away. It is alleged in the recording that Cowan claims to have panicked and grabbed Daniel around the throat and killed him.
Sandra Drummond, an alibi witness for Brett Cowan told the Court that she was friends with the accused, however could not recall where she was on 7 December 2003. Ms Drummond gave five statements to police officers between September 2006 and August 2011 in an attempt to establish her whereabouts.
Ms Drummond claims to have told police that her grandson’s birthday was the 8 December and she recalled a party taking place at McDonalds; however she could not remember which weekend the party occurred on. She further claimed to regularly attend upon the Nambour RSL on Sundays.
Mr Meehan, defence attorney for Cowan told the Court that three statements explored whether Ms Drummond did not see Cowan on 7 December 2003 and they were, whether she attended her grandson’s birthday party and therefore whether she would have been at home to see the accused on that day, and whether she was at the RSL club and whether her membership card had been used at the RSL.
Day six of committal proceedings at the Brisbane Magistrates Court has seen the cross examination of nine witnesses, six of those were passengers on a bus that passed under the overpass.
A common feature of their evidence was seeing a man near a boy there, but witness Gregory Roberts said he saw three men near a boy.
He said one man was standing beside a blue car and a white van was parked nearby.
He told the court there was another man sitting in the blue car’s driver’s seat and a third man was standing under the overpass.
The committal hearing continues.
Bosscher Lawyers’ Alex Jones is acting for a man who has been charged with a string of offences arising out of an alleged rape of a woman in Holland Park.
The 27 year old man, appeared in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on one count of rape and two counts of burglary.
Today, in the Brisbane Magistrates Court, matters were finalised for next month’s committal hearing.
The Crown successfully applied to have six witnesses cross-examined in closed sessions, despite strenuous argument from Bosscher Lawyers’ Tim Meehan who argued that the witnesses should testify in open court.
“There is an awful lot of interest in relation to this matter throughout the state and of course throughout the country as well,” Mr Meehan said.
“The principles of open justice we say dictate that these sorts of proceedings should be done open for the public to view.”
It is anticipated that in excess of forty other witnesses will give evidence in open court.
A 42-year old deaf man from Nundah was released after an attempted rape case was filed against him on the Brisbane Magistrates Court.
The crime happened on a Wednesday night. The victim, who refused to be named, was on her way to home from work. It was 7:50 pm and as she was walking, she was stopped by the deaf man, also unnamed under the Queensland law, at the corner of Breakfast Creek Road and Montpelier Road at Bowen Hills. Since the incident took place in area where it can be easily seen, a couple happened to pass by and went to the aid of the woman being assaulted.
The accused was taken into custody and was charged with one count of assault with intent to rape.
The defense lawyer stated that it was pretty difficult to take instructions from his client because he was “profoundly deaf” but he was not mentally impaired.
The 42-year old deaf man was released on bail and will be staying with his relatives “as he has previously done,” according to the lawyer. The man is required to reappear in court next month.