Alleged Bicycle Bandit Kym Allen Parsons asks for case to be delayed, court hears

He has $1.5m in assets and allegedly stole $250k but the accused Bicycle Bandit has pleaded for taxpayer money and asked his case be delayed.

Accused Bicycle Bandit Kym Allen Parsons – who has $1.5m in assets and allegedly stole $250k – needs taxpayer-supported Legal Aid funding before his case can progress, a court has heard.

On Tuesday, the former MFS firefighter and SA Police officer made his first Adelaide Magistrates Court appearance since being bailed on charges arising from the infamous 2000s crime spree.

When prosecutors flagged their intention to have the case jump the queue and move immediately to the District Court, given Mr Parsons’ terminal cancer, his counsel urged the court to refuse.

They said the case against Mr Parsons was so voluminous they could “not even afford to create an index for it” without securing Legal Aid funding.

The terminally ill alleged Bicycle Bandit – Kym Allen Parsons – leaves the Adelaide Remand Centre.

They also asked, the court relaxed his strict home detention bail conditions saying they prevented him from visiting his lawyers to work on his defence.

Mr Parsons, 73, has yet to plead to allegations he was the Bicycle Bandit who stole more than $250,000 from 11 banks over a 10-year period.

He was released on bail after a court heard he was terminally ill and had lost 7kg in custody – despite enjoying “the best chocolate sponge cake he had ever eaten”.

Prosecutors have seized his assets and allege he remains a danger because of his large cache of weapons and “a manifesto” about “vengeance” and “stepping outside the law”.

On Monday, prosecutor Leah O’Donnell told Magistrate John Wells that Mr Parsons’ case would be “the subject of an ex officio information”.

The legal term means the case would leapfrog the usual committal process in the Magistrates Court and move straight to the District Court for the setting of a trial date.

Mr Parsons’ lawyer, Alda Shkambi, argued that step was premature.

“We have received a very large amount of (evidence), in the form of one hard drive and two USBs, on January 29,” she said.

“That’s less than a week ago and, given that large amount, it’s taking days for it just to be indexed and we have not received confirmation of legal aid funding.

“We ask that the committal process not commence today.”

Ms Shkambi also asked her client’s bail be varied.

“Currently, Mr Parsons can only leave his home for the very specific purposes of medical treatment and so has not been permitted to attend our office,” she said.

Prosecutors did not oppose an adjournment nor the relaxing of Mr Parsons’ bail.

Mr Wells remanded him on his new bail agreement to face court again in March – when the case may still be expedited.

Mr Parsons declined to answer questions outside court, except for one.

Asked how his health was, he replied: “Good.”