THE BROTHER of a man in custody has been booted from court for allegedly taking photos of him on Snapchat.
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This time it was the prisoner's brother who was charged after four police arrived at the courthouse shortly after midday on Monday.
Interviewed by a court sheriff, the man denied taking the photograph until the image was sighted in Snapchat on a phone that belonged to a woman listed as the accused's, who cannot be named for legal reasons, carer.
"You've outright lied to me mate, I gave you the opportunity to come clean," the sheriff said.
"I gave you an opportunity several times and you've lied about it."
Had the man been honest about the photo, the sheriff said he would have asked him to delete it and let him off with a warning.
The sheriff also alleged the man had been communicating with his brother in the dock using hand signals from the gallery.
The man argued he wasn't aware that there were laws against taking photographs in court.
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Two signs are stuck on the door to the courtroom, one reads, 'Mobile phones MUST be turned off,' the other details the maximum penalty for the offence of $22,000 or 12 months imprisonment.
"Mate it's fairly obvious you aren't allowed to take photos, there's a sign on the door as you walk in," an Oxley Police District senior constable told the man.
The man was served a court attendance notice on the spot to appear in Tamworth Local Court charged with using a recording device to record sound or images in the court.