During the bail application for one of Wicks's co-accused, Steven Stefanouski, the Newcastle Local Court magistrate asked
if a reference in the Crown's case that said "supply team members" referred to Knights players. "That's an inference, yes," replied police prosecutor Jillian Kelton.
Responding last night to the inference that Wicks had allegedly supplied drugs to other players, Knights chief executive Steve Burraston said: "I have no knowledge of any other players being involved in any way. At the moment, we're just dealing with the Wicks matter and until we're fully briefed and know the facts of all the charges pending against him, and whether that involves anyone else, it would be wrong of me to make any comment."
When asked if he was aware of the same allegations implicating other Knights players, NRL chief executive David Gallop said: "I can't really say any more about it."
During Wicks's application for bail, solicitor Mark Hanlon said the Knights player would be defending the eight charges laid against him, six of supply and two of possession. Kelton said the amount of drugs involved was "twice the trafficable quantity" and that the supply occurred over a matter of months.
"We are talking about hundreds of kilos that have been supplied over time by this offender," Kelton said.
She said Wicks was a flight risk, having allegedly "fled the scene" on November 20 when he was first stopped by police. That night police stopped a ute being driven by Wicks
along Glebe Road, Merewether. They allegedly found a large foil wrapped in a pair of board shorts containing one ounce (28 grams) of amphetamine behind a seat.
Both Wicks and the owner of the vehicle, who was sitting in the passenger seat, denied any knowledge of the drugs. Wicks allegedly made an excuse to walk away from the car, and never came back. It is alleged police then found one gram of cocaine on the driver's floor, plus a "point" deal of 0.1g of amphetamine, according to facts tendered during the bail application of Stefanouski.
Kelton said Wicks then made some panicked phone calls, and that his behaviour indicated a "very strong consciousness of guilt". She said several attempts were made to contact him by investigating police but the phone calls were disconnected by him.
Hanlon said those allegations were denied by Wicks, whose version was that he had been given permission to leave, that he had not terminated any calls from police, and that the passenger in the vehicle had pleaded guilty to the possession of those drugs.
Regardless, Wicks had not been arrested at that point, Hanlon said. "My instructions were he didn't want to be seen on the side of the road when the police have pulled over a car ... because of his profile," Hanlon said.
Magistrate Sharon Holdsworth granted Wicks bail, saying it would be virtually impossible for him to absent himself and not be easily located. She made it a condition that he not contact his brother Brett Wicks, 22, and his sister-in-law Tristen Davenport, 25, who were arrested in Grafton and each face five charges of supply drugs each.
He is also not to contact, personally or through a third party, Knights player and former housemate Christopher Houston.
Wicks is due back in court on February 3. Stefanouski's matter was adjourned to today to determine bail.
He sounds like a total scumbag to me.
