SOLICITORS for four people charged in connection with a violent home invasion in Armidale have been granted extra time to review hundreds of pages of evidence, after they were served with lengthy briefs by detectives.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Darren Brian Cutmore, Tane Chatfield and Kara Symington remain in custody, charged with one count of special aggravated break-and-enter and commit serious indictable offence with a weapon, while co-accused Alethia Cutmore is on conditional bail on the same offence.
The four were charged by detectives attached to Strike Force Inga – a police operation investigating a violent home invasion in MacDonald Dr, Armidale, in the early hours of September 5.
Four offenders allegedly forced entry to a home, armed with firearms, and threatened a man and woman who were at home with their infant child, and fled shortly after with cash and jewellery.
Kara Symington appeared in court last week via video link from Silverwater Women’s Correctional Centre, where she is being held, supported by family and friends.
Solicitor Clive Sharkey said he anticipated “on the current instructions ... she would plead not guilty”.
“I received the balance of the brief yesterday,” he told the court.
“It consists of in excess of 2000 text messages. There’s about 100 pages of 20-plus texts on a page.
“To put it lightly, she’s not very happy about being in custody.”
Symington asked if there was “a reason why I can’t go for bail”, before the court heard she had been denied release on previous occasions.
“I understand Supreme Court bail was refused a short time ago and nothing has changed,” Mr Sharkey told the court.
Symington broke down on the screen when told the case was being adjourned to January to review the evidence against her.
“They only served it on Clive yesterday,” she said.
“There is no way I would have had time to go through the text messages.”
She has also been charged with one count of driving under the influence and has been ordered to enter a plea when the case returns to court.
In the matter of Darren Cutmore, solicitor Frank Falcomata said he received “a fair amount of material” the day before the court proceedings.
“It is fairly relevant. There are text messages recovered from Telstra. They will need to be scrutinised,” he said last week.
Alethia Cutmore faces an extra count of dealing with property suspected of being the proceeds of crime, after she was allegedly found in possession of jewellery taken from the MacDonald Dr home.
“I understand there is negotiations going on between various parties,” solicitor Jane Waddell said.
Her bail conditions were also changed, after the court was told she had obtained housing in Guyra, where she has been ordered to remain and report to local police.
Magistrate Karen Stafford said she would allow “eight weeks for negotiations” for Chatfield before the case was adjourned.
Symington, Darren Cutmore and Chatfield remain bail refused.
