Alstonville man Larry Pucci, 40, challenges evidence in after-hours shopping centre crime spree

A man accused of a Coffs Coast shopping centre smash and grab raid on nine premises has highlighted the absence of CCTV evidence during cross-examination of witnesses.

Larry Pucci. Picture: Instagram

A man accused of a Coffs Coast shopping centre raid on nine premises has highlighted the absence of some CCTV evidence during cross-examination of witnesses as his trial enters its second week.

The self-represented defendant, Larry Enrico Pucci, of Alstonville, is accused of breaking and entering the Moonee Marketplace during the alleged crime spree in September 2020.

In the first week of the trial at Coffs Harbour District Court, Crown Prosecutor Senior Counsel David Morters told the jury the crown would rely on “circumstantial” evidence against the accused.

Larry Pucci faces Coffs Harbour District Court over alleged aggravated break and enters which he is contesting.

As the second week of the trial unfolded, a series of witnesses were cross examined about events relating to the movements of Pucci leading up to the alleged crime.

Police allege the 40-year-old took a taxi on September 13 from the Coffs Harbour train station to Park Beach Hotel Motel where he was booked in overnight accommodation.

They further allege he took a taxi the next morning to a Sapphire Beach intersection approximately three and half miles from the marketplace.

In CCTV footage of the alleged break in, played to the court on Tuesday, a figure was clearly visible after hours in the Black Apple Cafe.

The black and white footage showed a heavily disguised person in the cafe wearing a hoodie, a shirt of a different colour, gloves, dark pants and carrying a backpack.

Moonee Marketplace centre manager Matthew O’Garey confirmed the authenticity of the CCTV footage but when cross examined by Pucci said the CCTV footage did not capture a time period important to Pucci’s defence — when some money bags, alleged to have been found outside the shopping centre, were handed to police.

The alleged break and enter happened at Moonee Marketplace.

As more witnesses were called Pucci went on to establish the absence of CCTV footage at several other key locations.

The former manager of the Hotel Motel, Sandra Scapini, told the court a room was booked under the name of “Larry Enrico” for the night of September 13 but could not remember if police had requested CCTV footage of the check-in.

The owner of 13Cabs, Rowan Evans, testified that two cab rides in question had been booked under the name “Larry”— one from the Coffs Harbour train station to the Park Beach Hotel Motel on September 13 and one the next morning from that address to an intersection off the highway near Sugarmill Rd and Gaudrons Rd Sapphire.

The court heard two audio files of a man ordering the cabs before Pucci again established through cross examination that there was no CCTV footage from either cab ride.

Pucci pleaded not guilty on November 26 to a total of 11 charges – seven counts of break and enter armed with an offensive weapon, two counts of theft and two counts of entering a building with intent to commit an indictable offence.

The trial continues.

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