Stephen Ryan
March 9, 2011
DANNY WICKS could go from convicted drug dealer to Crown witness after Newcastle District Court was told that prosecutors were considering calling the former Newcastle Knight to testify in other unspecified criminal cases.
A spokeswoman for the Director of Public Prosecutions would say only that the director was still considering the evidence in Wicks's case and ''related cases''.
Wicks attended court yesterday expecting to face a sentencing hearing, however the hearing was adjourned for two months.
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Outside court, Wicks was asked what the other criminal proceedings could be, but his barrister, Andrew Bright, said: ''There's no comment.''
Paul Rosser, QC, who also appeared for Wicks, told Judge Paul Lakatos prosecutors were considering ''ex officio'' proceedings against other people. ''[The Crown] is considering calling my client against his will as a witness,'' Rosser said.
An ex officio indictment is a special indictment to put someone on trial. It is usually filed when an accused person has not faced a committal hearing or has had serious criminal charges dismissed following a committal hearing.
Wicks confirmed his guilty pleas to three drug supply charges.
One relates to the sale of 150 ecstasy tablets at Charlestown in September 2009, just five days after the Knights were knocked out of the NRL premiership. The other two charges relate to quantities of methylamphetamine that Wicks helped source for his brother, who lives at Grafton. His brother will be sentenced later this month.
Another drug supply charge will be taken into account when Wicks is sentenced. It relates to his purchase of 30 ecstasy tablets in the hours after the Knights were knocked out of the 2009 premiership.
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/crown-may-call-wicks-as-witness-20110308-1bmm6.html
