NT: Threat to kill charges delayed by new evidence
By Rod McGuirk
DARWIN, Dec 9 AAP - A former Northern Territory government adviser charged with threateningto kill police had his hearing delayed today because of new expert evidence.
Ashley Manicaros was employed by the former Country Liberal Party government when heallegedly sent three letters to individual police officers threatening to kill them inFebruary, 1999.
He has pleaded not guilty to three charges of threatening to kill.
He successfully applied to have the charges, scheduled to be heard in the Darwin MagistratesCourt today, adjourned because the prosecution had only supplied him with a copy of ahandwriting expert's report on Friday last week.
His lawyer Vanessa Lee told the court the defence case had focussed on DNA evidenceagainst Manicaros, who is now the Darwin City Council's press officer.
She would now find an independent handwriting expert to examine the prosecution expert's report.
She said she had earlier been told that a handwriting expert had been unable to matchthe threatening letters with samples of Manicaros' writing.
Prosecutor Mark Hunter said the prosecution expert's report had only recently beencompleted after a second search warrant for documents written by Manicaros was executedin the council offices on November 29.
The first samples seized by police on November 14 did not contain block letters.
Block letters were used on the envelope containing the threatening letters.
"That's like comparing apples with oranges," Mr Hunter said.
Magistrate Jenny Blokland accepted the new evidence changed the nature of Manicaros' defence.
She adjourned the charges to Monday next week for mention.
AAP rmg/ldj/bwl
KEYWORD: MANICAROS
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