Ice and jewels: sham heist trial’s star witness slammed

CCTV, a high -level city jewel store before and after a brazen robbery seizing the two men, a man who did not shoot the court objected to the claim that he was involved in the court.

The Germani Jewelers store at Sydney’s Hilton Hotel was robbed for more than 11 minutes by two men in January 2023.

Prosecutor Cate Dodds previously told the NSW Regional Court jury, the 67 -year -old owner Michel Germani owed more than $ 184,000 to the hotel and created a plan to compensate for funds before the store was closed.

59 -year -old Mounir Helou and 59 -year -old Andrea David Cusumano, the essay accused of entering the plan.

Cusumano is accused of making a telephone conversation that regulates an appointment after an hour to make a fake robbery.

While his trials dates back to the seventh week on Wednesday, Cusumano’s lawyer Peter Stitz called him “extraordinary bad” against his client and denied that he was involved.

The 59 -year -old was not present at two meetings planned with Germani, Helou and others before the robbery, and then he was not there to divide the spoils.

Biri If he had been on him and he knew what had happened, one would be there, and two of them would take his tongue, the jury said.

The lawyer targeted the reliability of the Crown Prosecutor’s Office “Star Witness”, a second robber in the German jewel store with Helou.

This man, who could not be named for legal reasons, told the police that he had received a gram of methamphetamine, also known as ice every day during a fake robbery, and did not sleep.

“I was scattered during this time, and not really myself,” he wrote to the police.

During the cross examination, he sometimes admitted that he had received an “excessive” amount of ice that affected his memory.

The lawyer accused the thief of guessing that Cusumano had made a phone call as allegedly allegedly.

The robber was said by Giulia Penna, including the land.

“That’s why me and Mr. Cusumano are here? Mr. Stitz told the jury.

“Because he didn’t.

Cusumano was in Penna’s minibus when the robbers went to Bunings to buy cable vineyards and gloves before the shop robbery.

The witness told the court that Helou was waiting for him to buy the items, but instead of talking to Penna instead of talking in front of the driver’s seat.

Mr. Stitz said that this was because he did not want Cusumano to find out what was happening in the front passenger seat.

“Why do you send a text message to someone who has two feet in front of you?” he asked.

The witness described Cusumano as “a little simple” and “only there”.

Mr. Stitz said that the obvious result for the jury was to be acquitted on charges of committing his client and gradual robbery for financial advantage.

“The crown case could be something John West could refuse,” he said.

“Can you even be sure what fish we’re talking about?”

Germani and Helou admitted that the robbery was fake, but the employee Lana Al-Khoury also claimed that he knew the plan and was willing to connect.

Each claimed that a number of aggravated robbery was not guilty of physical violence, but claimed that he was not guilty of being taken into custody without only German consent.

At the hearing, prosecutors argued that there was a “real sacrifice” that was necessary to make the robbery look real.

Germani demanded an insurance of $ 2.8 million in the “stolen” jewels, but was rejected.

The hearing continues on Thursday.