Police on notice over alleged scammer prosecution
Police have been put on notice to make faster progress in their prosecution of one of the people charged over a series of bank card scams involving elderly victims.
Christchurch District Court Judge Tony Couch warned a police prosecutor that if the woman accused, Denise Cherelle Greig, had hired a lawyer privately rather than through legal aid, he would have been considering a costs order against the police.
The judge said he could not understand why the officer in charge had persistently refused to supply requested disclosure – details of the prosecution case – to defence lawyer Ruth Buddicom.
He said police had opposed bail since 30-year-old Greig’s arrest on three charges in early February. It was quite unjust that the delays should be happening while she was in custody.
He said Miss Buddicom had twice made verbal requests to the officer in charge and the prosecutor for details of the charges.
Two of the charges are “representative” ones, involving many transactions, and one alleges a single offence. Miss Buddicom had complained at an earlier appearance that the charges had been laid in a “baffling” form.
When she raised the matter last month, Judge Couch set it down for a hearing on whether the charges should be dismissed because of police inaction.
However, when it was heard he said he believed there should be an order made under the Criminal Procedures Act, to compel the police to provide the details the defence wanted.
He asked Miss Buddicom to send a request in writing to the police requesting the particular information she wanted. He then gave the police 10 days to respond, either by providing the information or by setting out detailed reasons why it was not going to be provided.
He remanded Greig in custody to May 5, for that to happen and for pleas to be entered.
He told the prosecutor that he expected the police would be able to provide the information quickly because “it must be in the hands of the officer in charge”.
The charges link Greig to a group of alleged offenders who were scamming elderly victims out of bank cards by saying they were faulty and “replacing” them with prezzie cards, and then raiding bank accounts.
Five have been arrested and one man has pleaded guilty. Others have denied the charges. Greig has entered no pleas.
Category: News
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