Vic: Jury out in police double murder case
MELBOURNE, Dec 23 AAP - The jury in the trial of two men charged with the murders oftwo Melbourne police officers will be sent home for Christmas if they fail to reach averdict by tomorrow afternoon.
Trial judge Justice Phillip Cummins said the jury, which retired today, would be allowedhome for Christmas Day and would return to continue deliberations on Boxing Day.
The Supreme Court trial of Bandali Michael Debs, 49, of Narre Warren, and Jason JosephRoberts, 22, of Cranbourne, began on August 14, amid tight security.
They are charged with murdering Sergeant Gary Silk, 35, and Senior Constable Rod Miller,34, who were gunned down on August 16, 1998, during a surveillance operation.
The two officers were shot after pulling over a suspect car just after midnight duringa stakeout of the Silky Emperor Chinese Restaurant in Moorabbin in Melbourne's south-east.
The Crown alleges Debs and Roberts were the two men responsible for the armed robberiesand for the deaths of the officers.
Neither of the accused gave evidence, but through their barristers said they were notat the scene of the shootings.
The Crown says secretly-recorded conversations of the two accused pointed to their guilt.
The Crown also stated that forensic tests proved glass windscreen fragments found atthe scene came from a car belonging to one of Debs' daughters.
The defence has suggested that glass fragments could have been planted.
At the start of the trial, 15 jurors were empanelled, to guard against the jury beingreduced to an unworkable number by sickness or other emergencies which might strike duringa long trial.
Today, before deliberations began, three of the jurors who have spent the past fourmonths hearing the case were excused.
Justice Cummins said he would allow the jury members to break off deliberations from
12:30pm tomorrow to spend Christmas with their families.
aap sew/mh/csd
KEYWORD: DEBS JURY LEAD
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