A MAN accused of several sexual assaults near Tamworth claims police are withholding evidence against him.
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Zeb Levi Nye was visibly frustrated as he appeared in Tamworth Local Court via video link from Tamworth Correctional Centre, where he is being held in custody.
"This is ridiculous, miss," Nye told the court.
"The police are withholding crucial evidence."
"I've been in custody for months; they've been withholding it the entire time."
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Nye is charged with the sexual assault of a woman in her Manilla home in the early hours of November 7. Police arrested him about three hours after being notified of the allegations.
Nye is yet to enter a plea to the 16 charges against him, which include six counts of sexual intercourse without consent; sexual touching; and three counts each of possessing an unregistered firearm, namely gel firearms, possessing an unauthorised firearm and not keeping a firearm safe. The weapons were seized at the crime scene.
Magistrate Julie Soars told the court Nye was granted bail in December on the sexual assault allegations but was then refused bail because "there's another matter now".
Solicitor Geoff Archer said there was "actual video evidence" of several of the acts in question.
"This is a matter where there has been evidence in possession of the police since the 6th of November," he said.
He said the brief of evidence had been served on January 13, but it "didn't include this material".
He said he had written to the DPP asking for the video to be served in evidence.
"This is material ... that is fundamental in the matter," he said.
Mr Archer said he couldn't proceed in the usual way, lodging an application for a two-week adjournment because the "brief is not complete and it's not ready for charge certification".
"To say that the brief is complete is a furphy," he said.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Rob Baillie said, "There's a brief served enough to satisfy the elements of the offence."
Sergeant Baillie said the case was "moving forward", and asked for the usual six-week adjournment for the DPP to consider the evidence and confirm the charges it would proceed with.
"And the prosecution is not at all saying any information is going to be hidden," he told the court, adding that Nye "was given bail on this matter" but refused on other charges.
After hearing the arguments, Ms Soars granted the defence application and adjourned it for two weeks to allow the evidence issue to be discussed between the defence and the DPP.
Nye made no application for bail on his other assault-related charges, and did not enter pleas because Mr Archer said the cases were "inextricably linked".
"They're different complainants, but you say they are linked?" Ms Soars asked, before Mr Archer confirmed he wasn't in a position to enter the pleas.