Alexander David ADAMS

NOTES FOUND, COURT TOLD

MELBOURNE, Tuesday. – – A cache of notes found in the home of a Melbourne man was thought to be valuable evidence in relation to the Victorian Club robbery, an armed robbery squad detective told the Melbourne City Court today.

Detective-Senior Constable Alexander Adams said he went to the man’s home in Kett Street, Nunawading on July. 14, looking for a man known as Stanley Ernest James.

He said Mr James was wanted for questioning in connection with the Victorian Club robbery in April this year.

Detective Adams said Mr Daniel Hacking opened the door of his home wearing pyjamas when he went with other police to Kett Street at 10.35pm on July 14.

He said he found large bundles of money in a plastic bag in a set of drawers in a built-in wardrobe. He said Mr Hacking told him he was looking after the money for his brother-in-law, Mr Stan James.

Mr Hacking and his wife were charged with having unlawfully possessed $11,400 in notes of various denominations reasonably suspected of being stolen, and with having handled the same amount of money, knowing it was stolen, between June 1 and July 14 this year.

Mr Hacking was committed for trial on the second charge. He pleaded not guilty and was allowed bail of S500 with a similar surety.

The charge of having unlawfully possessed the money was adjourned to a date to be fixed.

Charges against Mrs Hacking were dismissed.

Mr Norman Leung Lee, 28, of Kerferd Street, Essendon, appeared in the Melbourne City Court today on a charge involving the robbery of $1.3 million.

Mr Lee, a dim sim maker, is charged with armed robbery on Mr Norman Paragree. an armed guard, of $1,387,540 at the Victorian Club in Queen Street on April 21.

Mr Lee is also charged with having received $124,000 in cash between April 21 and October 5.

Mr Lee was recently granted bail in the Supreme Court.

Mr L. T. Griffin CSM respited his bail today and adjourned the charges to March 24 next year.

Sergeant pocketed bail: witness

MELBOURNE: A Sydney man told the County Court in Melbourne yesterday that a St Kilda policeman had pocketed $500 that he had given to him for bail money in 1977.

Mr John Mitchell Purvis, of Rose Bay, told the court he thought he had “been had” after the policeman refused to give him a receipt for the money.

Mr Purvis was giving evidence before Judge Ravech at the trial of a suspended policeman, Sergeant Alexander David Adams.

Sergeant Adams has pleaded not guilty to having obtained $500 by deception, having stolen $500 and having received a secret commission of $500.

The Crown prosecutor, Mr J. T. Hassett, told the jury that the charges were alternative counts and related to an incident alleged to have occurred on August 3 at the St Kilda CIB office.

Mr Hassett said that Mr Purvis had owned a milk bar in Elwood in August last year and Sergeant Adams had been one of a number of policemen who questioned him about stolen property found in his shop.

He said Mr Purvis had been taken to the Prahran police station to be charged with receiving stolen property and had asked Sergeant Adams on the way about bail.

Mr Hassett said Sergeant Adams asked him, “How would $500 suit?” Mr Purvis had later been released on bail on his own undertaking, which meant he did not have to lodge any bail money.

Mr Purvis said that Sergeant Adams asked him to come to the St Kilda CIB the next day and he thought he was going there “to pay bail money”.

He went to the CIB office the next morning and gave Sergeant Adams $500 in cash.

“I took the money out and gave it to Adams and asked for a receipt”, he said.

“He said, ‘You’re not getting a receipt’. He took the money and stuck it in his pocket”.

The trial continues today.

Shot officer ‘on charge’

MELBOURNE: A Melbourne police sergeant who was found dead in a car at suburban Frankston yesterday morning had appeared in the Melbourne City Court on Tuesday on a blackmail charge.

Police said that Sergeant Alexander David Adams had been found with a gunshot wound to the head. A shotgun and a note were found near his body.

Police said that Sergeant Adams had been suspended from duty and had entered no plea at his court appearance yesterday.