OFF THE WIRE
Nicholas 'Shonky' Cassidy leaves Darwin Supreme Court after being granted bail.
A HELLS Angel gang member charged over the fatal hit-and-run of Levi Griffiths was granted bail after more than three months in custody.
But outside court, Nicholas Frank Cassidy said it was "rough justice".
He added he couldn't comment any further because the matter was before the court.
Crown prosecutor Paul Usher told the NT Supreme Court there was concern that Mr Cassidy would intimidate witnesses if released from custody.
His lawyer Peter Elliott said the father-of-two had never been charged with intimidating witnesses and there was no evidence he would do so.
But Mr Usher said: "Perhaps the perception of intimidation may be intimidation itself given who the defendant is."
He added that Mr Cassidy had already been charged with interfering with evidence after allegedly "engineering" paint tins to fall on the windscreen of the car used in the hit-and-run in Darwin's rural area on June 4.
http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2011/09/15/260301_ntnews.html
But Justice Dean Mildren said there was "no significant risk" that Mr Cassidy would tamper with evid- ence, witnesses or jurors.
"But because he is a member of the Hells Angels I consider it a possibility," he said.
He said he would make an order that restricted the 40-year-old from approaching any of the Crown witnesses.
Justice Mildren said one of the reasons he granted bail was because Mr Cassidy could be in custody up to 12 months waiting for the trial to start.
He added the Crown was relying on circumstantial evidence and had not obtained any forensics from the car or crash scene.
"It's not the strongest case in the world," he said.
Mr Usher told the court that Mr Cassidy allegedly assaulted a police superintendent when they went to visit him in custody on Tuesday.
But Mr Elliott said: "The accusation of assault is not a serious one." Mr Cassidy has to report to police three times a week and will re-appear in court next month.
http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2011/09/15/260301_ntnews.html
