Nicholas Barrett maintains not guilty plea charged with stealing car from airport
The lawyer for a man charged with stealing a car from Merimbula Airport, which was later seen in bushland at Eden, has pulled out due to a conflict of interest.
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A man charged with stealing a car from Merimbula Airport has maintained his plea of not guilty.
Wearing prison greens, Merimbula man Nicholas John Barrett, 33, appeared in Bega Local Court via audio video link on October 27.
Barrett’s solicitor pulled out of the case due to what he said was a “conflict of interest”, and Local Court Magistrate Doug Dick said the case was heading “off the rails”.
Magistrate Dick said due to the “big distance between courts” on the south coast, duty solicitors can often not appear in each courthouse, which can create “hiccups” for magistrates.
Barrett was arrested by police patrolling fire trails east of the Princes Highway at Eden, when they came across a Toyota HiLux attempting to recover a Nissan Patrol by winch.
Barrett maintained his plea of not guilty to stealing the HiLux, which police allege was taken from the airport on October 16, and one count of being in possession of stolen goods.
He is yet to plead on two further counts of being in possession of stolen goods.
Magistrate Doug Dick adjourned the matter to Bega Local Court on November 27 to allow time for Barrett to find a lawyer, and match the case with his 37-year-old co-accused Benjamin Bradley Francis Niezgoda from Eden.
Niezgoda is yet to plead to charges including failing to disclose the name of the driver of the car, possessing methamphetamine, being in possession of stolen goods, and being a passenger in a stolen car.