Norwood cafe hit-run accused to stand trial after denying charges
TWO men accused of a hit and run robbery outside a popular eastern suburbs cafe — which left another man with serious injuries — have been ordered to stand trial after they formally denied the charges.
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TWO men accused of a hit and run robbery outside a popular eastern suburbs cafe have been ordered to stand trial after they formally denied the charges.
James Michael Watts, 30, is charged with Kieran Callaghan-Wight, 26, over the crash outside Manto Café, on George St, near The Parade, Norwood, last year.
Appearing briefly in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Friday via video link from two regional prisons, the pair denied a series of crimes.
Watts, of Aldinga Beach, and Callaghan-Wright, of Glenunga, pleaded not guilty to one aggravated charge each of committing theft using force and cause harm to another.
They also denied fabricating or altering to conceal evidence, fail to answer questions of the identity of a driver or owner of a vehicle and making off without payment at Glenunga.
Magistrate Paul Foley ordered them to stand trial in the District Court at a later date before remanding them in custody.
Police allege the men were inside a white Mitsubishi, which ran over cafe patron, Jeph Ko, 34, and dragged him up to 60m along the road.
Prosecutors further claim the alleged thieves tried to snatch Mr Ko’s laptop, which was valued at up to $2500, during the incident at 5.45pm on Sunday, July 3, before the victim gave chase and fell before he was struck.
They claim CCTV footage from a nearby shop, and cafe, identified Watts, a father of one, entering the vehicle “shortly before” the incident.
Mr Ko, a Taiwanese-born photographer also known as Er-Hsin Ko, remained in the Royal Adelaide Hospital’s intensive care unit for several weeks with spinal injuries and broken bones including to his ribs and ankle.
The vehicle, which she said was registered to Watts, was found dumped and torched early the next morning at River Rd, Port Noarlunga — 45km from the accident scene.
The court has heard how Watts’ mother was handed a stolen laptop into police after her son told her it would “implicate” him.
Prosecutors have said Watts was identified by “grainy” security camera vision, taken at 5.36pm, which placed him as the driver, although there is dispute about what the footage shows.
Mr Ko, also a city cafe worker, did not attend court on Friday but has previously told of his distress over the incident.