NSW: New trial for man who claimed he was bank robber

AAP General News (Australia)
08-13-1999
NSW: New trial for man who claimed he was bank robber

A man who pleaded not guilty to being an accessory after a bank robbery, claiming he was
the actual robber, has been granted a new trial.

Last year, an Albury District Court jury found MICHAEL REGINALD BAKER guilty of being an
accessory after the fact to the armed robbery of an Albury Commonwealth Bank by LONNIE EDWARD
SING on April 4, 1997.

The then 31-year-old, formerly of Lavington in Albury on the New South Wales/Victorian
border, was jailed for a minimum of three years and a maximum of four.

In quashing his conviction and ordering a retrial, the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal noted
BAKER'S curious defence had been that he was not an accessory after SING'S robbery, but the
actual robber.

The crown case had been that SING carried out the robbery and BAKER helped him to escape
detection or prosecution by driving him to Canberra and helping him buy a car with the robbery
proceeds.

BAKER had given evidence that their purpose of going to Canberra had been to buy heroin.

AAP RTV mss/tsm/shm/jn

KEYWORD: BAKER (SYDNEY)

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