3 days Ago By Court Reporter
The victim of had his hands tied to his bed and his eyes covered with duct tape, and believed he felt the muzzle of a rifle on his neck during a firearms theft, a court has heard. or signup to continue reading Alister William Meredith was extradited from Albury to Wodonga on Tuesday Meredith, 37, allegedly attended the victim's Webb Lane home with Rick Collins about 3am. The Wodonga Magistrates Court was told the victim had eight registered firearms stored at the property.
He said was awoken by shouting and was told to roll onto his stomach and put his hands behind his head or he would be shot. The court heard he saw two men in his room holding torches, and complied with the request. His hands were taped together then taped to the frame of his bed, with duct tape put around his head and eyes so he could no longer see.
He said her felt a rifle muzzle on the back of his neck. The man was allegedly asked where his gun safe keys were, and told the pair. The court heard the men used the keys to open the safe and realised there was no ammunition, and sought keys to a shipping container.
About 4500 rounds were taken, along with eight firearms, a black powder gun, two Stihl chainsaws and about $4000 in cash. The victim had been told "not to move, because there was a red dot on him, implying there was a firearm pointed at him". The court heard the man's Toyota LandCruiser utility was stolen and driven a short distance away.
The man was able to free himself after about 10 minutes and went to a neighbour's home to raise the alarm at 4.40am. Police attended and took DNA swabs from two sets of car keys and the LandCruiser's steering wheel.
The victim's DNA and Meredith's DNA were allegedly found on the steering wheel. The victim's DNA and Collins' DNA were allegedly found on car keys. The court heard Albury officers attended Cameron Coulston's property on October 23 last year over an unrelated matter and recovered one of the stolen rifles.
Collins' DNA was allegedly on the stolen firearm. The court heard the other guns still hadn't been recovered, despite Meredith's home he shares with his parents in Springdale Heights being "turned upside down" last December. Police had tried to arrest Meredith at the time but had been unable to do so.
Detective Acting Sergeant Andrew Squire of the Illicit Firearms Squad said Meredith and Collins had been texting each other before the Granya incident. The court heard Collins had sent a woman a video showing him holding a longarm firearm about 12 hours before the home invasion. The pair exchange messages stating "let's do something" and Collins allegedly mentioned picking Meredith up.
The court heard the pair's phones pinged off the West Lavington phone tower at 11.23pm on September 10 last year, Meredith's phone was turned off at 11.57pm, then Collin's phone pinged off the Granya tower at 2.
08am on September 11. Collin's phone allegedly pinged off the Lavington tower at 4.27am, then both phones connected to the Mullengandra tower.
Meredith faced the Wodonga Magistrates Court on Wednesday, December 18, following his extradition from Albury. He faces six charges over the home invasion and gun theft, with police opposed to his release. "The applicant is an unacceptable risk to the community," Detective Acting Sergeant Andrew Squire said.
"He committed a home invasion and false imprisonment with a co-accused, during which they were armed with a firearm. "During the offence eight firearms were also stolen, seven of which are unrecovered." Meredith's lawyer said the allegations were denied and there could be a "completely innocent" explanation for the text messages between Meredith and Collins.
The court heard the case was circumstantial. Helen Meredith supported her son's release and said he could live at their Algona Road home in Springdale Heights. The retired teacher sobbed while giving evidence.
"He has trouble with substances, he uses substances," she said, noting the family could put up a $10,000 surety for the 37-year-old's bail. Magistrate Megan Casey said there was DNA linking Meredith to the car but not the firearms, and no phone data putting Meredith at the scene of the home invasion. She noted a jail term was almost certain if the offending was proven, but said "there's certainly a triable case".
Ms Casey bailed Meredith to his parents' with a curfew, ordered he report to Wodonga police three times a week, and return to court on March 13. DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation.
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