Meth case in court

Two people arrested in a police operation cracking down on the illegal methamphetamine trade in Northland will make their next court appearance next week. Kane Jason Murray, farmer of Wheki Valley, 29, is jointly charged with Fiona Nivika McFarland, 28, of Onerahi, that between December 3 and 4 last year manufactured methamphetamine and again on or before March 24, 2019. It is a charge that has a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. The other charges they both face are unlawful possession of a firearm .303 calibre action rifle, unlawful possession of a prohibited firearm a Ruger mini-30 rifle, possession of precursor substances and produced a class B drug ephedrine. The duo will both appear in the Whangārei District Court on June 17. Two rural properties in Wheki Valley – between Maungatapere and Tangiteroria – were searched at first light and four firearms were recovered from these properties including a semi-automatic prohibited weapon in May this year.

Lucky Lotto win
A Northland Lotto player is $166,667 richer after winning Lotto First Division in Wednesday night’s draw. The ticket, sold online at MyLotto, was among six nationally that each won a share of the $1 million First Division prize. Each of the six players won $166,667.

Driving charges
The day before New Zealand went into Covid-19 lockdown Shane Karl Raynor Legg allegedly decided not to stop for police when driving on a Whangārei street. However, police did manage to stop the 36-year-old later and booked him a court appearance. Legg faces charges of driving while disqualified, failing to stop for police and dangerous driving causing injury, all on March 25. He will appear again in the Whangārei District Court on July 30 for callover.

Grape growers contest
A “firm date”, of Friday August 7, has been set for the Auckland-Northland Young Viticulturist of the Year competition, at Kerikeri’s Marsden Estate, with the winner going on to contest the national title in October. Last year’s regional winner was Pietro Aloisi, from Kerikeri’s Ake Ake Vineyard, with Jake Dromgool, from The Landing, on Purerua Peninsula, the runner-up.

Wine tales sought
Kerikeri author Graham Bathgate is collecting previously unpublished wine stories for a book due to be published later this year. Contributions of up to 2500 words, in any style or form, including essays, fiction, creative non-fiction, humour, real-life stories, even poems or vignettes, can be sent to g.bathgate26@gmail.com until August 30. Go to www.finelinepress.co.nz for more information.

Fruiterer Paul Virgona, 46, died en route to work when his van was peppered with bullets on the city’s EastLink Freeway at Donvale last November 9.

Josh Rider, a 29-year-old Port Melbourne man, and 35-year-old Aaron Ong from Kilsyth were this morning charged by Victoria Police with his murder following dawn raids on 12 properties across the city.

The men did not apply for bail when they faced Melbourne Magistrates’ Court today.

They were remanded in custody. to appear via video link for a committal mention on May 27.

A Montrose man, 30, is today being interviewed by detectives from the anti-bikie Echo Taskforce in relation to firearm and drug matters. No further arrests are expected.

Six firearms – a mixture of longarms and handguns – and a boat have also been seized. The weapons will be examined to determine whether the alleged murder weapon is among them.

“We’ve been at pains to point out that the victim has no criminal association and no association with the Mongols,” Crime Command Assistant Commissioner Tess Walsh told reporters today.

She said the murder charges are “of the highest order” and police allege the two men were responsible for the fatal shooting.

When asked if Mr Virgona’s death was a case of mistaken identity, Ms Walsh said she “wouldn’t want to speculate” as the two accused had only just been interviewed.

“We work so hard to get to resolution for these jobs, there’s just no way we want to jeopardise that by compromising the criminal justice process,” she said.

At a press conference earlier this month – where Mr Virgona’s teenage son, Luca, spoke beside his mother, Antonietta – investigators said they were unable to establish a motive for the brutal killing.

“The tragic events that have occurred have removed an innocent and well-respected man from this earth,” Luca Virgona said.

“My greatest role model in life is now gone and we are left to pick up the pieces of our broken family.”

Mongols clubhouses in Ferntree Gully and Port Melbourne were raided as well as a South Melbourne tattoo parlour co-owned by former Richmond Football Club player Jake King, who was seen speaking to police.

Ms Walsh said the parlour was raided “because of the association with the Mongols” but nobody was arrested at that location.

Police said Mr Virgona’s killers waited for him to leave his home in Croydon and followed him in a Mercedes-Benz sedan, which was later found torched in Mooroolbark.

The duo are thought to have switched to a getaway car, a Volkswagen Amarok utility, before dumping it and running into a park.

Police released images of a distinctive Nike top, believed to have been dropped by one of the suspects.

Searches of the properties will be ongoing throughout Wednesday.

Ms Walsh said the operation was the result of months of hard work by multiple police units.

“We understand that any time there is an incident involving illicit firearms, particularly one that results in someone being killed in this way, there is enormous concern in the community,” she said.

“Today’s activities should send a strong message, especially to those involved in this type of criminal activity, that it’s absolutely not acceptable and Victoria Police is committed to tracking down and targeting those people willing to commit these offences.”

WHERE WERE TODAY’S RAIDS?

• Croydon

• Ferntree Gully (clubhouse)

• Kilsyth

• Lilydale

• Montrose

• Noble Park

• Port Melbourne (clubhouse)

• Port Melbourne (commercial)

• Southbank

• South Melbourne (commercial)

• Tecoma

• Wantirna South

– with AAP

Two men who had been involved in a fender-bender decided to drive recklessly when they sped down a busy street and crashed into a minivan, killing a 16-year-old high school baseball player and critically injuring his father in south Torrance nearly three years ago, a prosecutor told jurors Wednesday, Jan. 15.

But defense attorneys for both Darryl Leander Hicks Jr., 31, of Los Angeles and Tung Ming, 24, of Rancho Palos Verdes said several complicating factors, and not mere recklessness, led the pair to speed down the hill from Rolling Hills Estates on March 7, 2017.

They said the prosecution overreached in charging the men with gross vehicular manslaughter in a three-vehicle crash that killed Jesse Esphorst Jr. and critically injured his father, also Jesse, during opening statements of an anticipated 10-day trial in Torrance Superior Court.

But prosecutor Ryan Gould told the jury that usually after a fender bender, both parties pull over, exchange information and move on.

“That is not what happened here,” he said. “Because of a series of choices both defendants made, they drove recklessly, carelessly and without regard for human life.”

Witnesses and police estimated the two vehicles to be traveling about 80 miles per hour when they collided in succession with the Esphorts’ minivan as it attempted to make a left turn on a green arrow from southbound Crenshaw Boulevard to eastbound Crest Road.

The minivan clipped Hicks’ vehicle as it sped by on a red light, but Ming’s SUV followed and hit the minivan head on, which was believed to be the fatal collision.

Witnesses who ran up to render aid found Jesse Esphorst Sr. slumped over his son in the passenger seat, with the younger Esphorst’s upper body partly hanging out the passenger window.

The son suffered a broken sternum, skull fractures and a neck dislocation, while the father suffered a broken right nasal bone, a three-centimeter cut on his scalp requiring 10 staples and brain hemorrhaging, Gould said.

Ming stayed at the scene following the collision while Hicks fled. His damaged car was found a quarter-mile away from the crash site and he was arrested days later.

Both men face counts of vehicular manslaughter and reckless driving on a highway causing injuries and death. Hicks also faces counts of hit-and-run driving resulting in death or serious injury to another person, hit-and-run driving resulting in injury to another person and misdemeanor counts of hit-and-run resulting in property damage and driving on a suspended license.

Hicks faces 12 years in prison if convicted as charged, while Ming faces nine years. Both men are free on bail.

The incident began when Hicks made an illegal U-turn to go southbound on Crenshaw Boulevard while Ming was making a legal left turn from Silver Spur Road. Their cars collided before Hicks fled and Ming pursued while calling 911, which led to the fatal crash, Gould said.

Richard Hutton, representing Ming, said the case was unique in the fact that the co-defendants had never met.

Hicks’ attorney Daniel Perlman told the jury his client was headed home with his girlfriend when he made the U-turn. After the collision, Ming’s SUV appeared to veer toward Hicks’ sedan and Hicks fled out of fear that Ming would retaliate, Perlman said.

Hutton told the jury that Ming was simply following the order of a sheriff’s department 911 operator, who asked him three times to try to get the license plate number of the vehicle that had hit him, only to request he stop chasing the vehicle almost simultaneously with the moment of impact, which was heard on the recording.

The defense attorneys were not disputing that the collisions occurred, or that there was tremendous loss as a result, but disagreed with the vehicular manslaughter charge and the contention that gross negligence was involved.

Perlman said Hicks’ girlfriend, seated in the passenger seat of his car, told him that she could no longer see Ming’s SUV in the rear view mirror and suggested he slow down in the seconds before the collision with the Esphorsts, adding Hicks was unaware Ming also hit the minivan.

“You will hear evidence and testimony that my client did not know the second collision occurred or how serious it was,” Perlman told the jury.

Hicks heard about the fatal collision on the news, Perlman said, adding Hicks called him and planned to turn himself in, but was called in to work first and arrested there by police.

Hutton followed and pointed out that Ming was the listed victim in one of the counts against Hicks. He argued that if Hicks was truly afraid, he should have called 911. He claimed Hicks may have fled because he had been drinking and was driving on a suspended license.

Ultimately, Ming didn’t display the mental state of someone with a disregard for human life, Hutton argued.

“It doesn’t make it right, but maybe there are other factors involved,” Hutton said. “In no way, shape or form do we blame the Esphorsts for any part of what happened. It’s a true tragedy and my client feels terrible about it.”

Jesse Esphorst Jr. was a talented shortstop for the South Torrance High baseball team and had just hit a home run to lead his team to victory hours prior to the crash.

More than 2,000 people, including hundreds who knew him through high school and Little League, attended his funeral.

Updated

January 10, 2018 17:02:32

Two men charged with drug trafficking, and who have links to outlaw motorcycle gangs, had been staying at a Port Melbourne home owned by former AFL coach Mark Thompson, the ABC understands.

A 31-year-old man from Lara, near Geelong, and a 28-year-old Port Melbourne man were remanded in custody after being charged with drug trafficking on Tuesday.

The ABC understands those men were Karl Holt, who has connections to the Bandidos bikie gang, and Thomas Windsor, who is affiliated with the Rebels bikie gang.

Neither of them are patched members.

It is understood the pair had been staying at a Port Melbourne property owned by Thompson, which was raided by police last Friday.

Thompson was arrested and went to a police station to be questioned by appointment on Tuesday, but was released without charge.

A 22-year-old Mill Park woman was also arrested and charged with drug trafficking in connection with the investigation.

All three will return to court at a later date.

Thompson, a two-time Essendon premiership player and former captain, was an assistant at the Bombers under James Hird at the time of the disastrous supplements program.

The AFL fined him $30,000 for his part in the saga, but Thompson took over the senior role at Essendon for one season in 2014 while Hird served a 12-month suspension.

From 2000-2010 Thompson was the senior coach at Geelong, winning two premierships in a dominant era for the Cats.

Topics:

law-crime-and-justice,

courts-and-trials,

crime,

drug-offences,

port-melbourne-3207,

melbourne-3000,

vic

First posted

January 10, 2018 11:13:09