DELAYED: A decision on whether Griffith mayor Mike Neville will be face a fresh trial on sex charges has been delayed for a month.
A DECISION on whether Griffith mayor Mike Neville will be face a fresh trial on sex charges has been delayed for a month.
The case was mentioned during a telephone call over Sydney District Court on Wednesday and was adjourned until June 20.
A spokeswoman for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) refused to confirm media reports it had sought an adjournment after Neville’s legal team made a no bill application, calling for the trial to be thrown out.
But The Area News understands the mayor’s legal team has put a submission to the DPP, which is considering it.
Neville stood trial on eight charges in Wagga District Court in March and April.
After hearing 19 days of evidence, a jury of 11 was unable to reach a verdict on any of the charges.
The case was then stood over until this week to determine whether the DPP would pursue a retrial.
It is alleged that 52-year-old Neville assaulted two women between 2003 and 2010 while working as a probation and parole officer in his home town of Griffith.
He has pleaded not guilty to two counts of indecent assault against a woman in her 40s in her Yanco home in 2003.
He has also pleaded not guilty to two counts of indecent assault on a woman aged in her 20s and four counts of sexual intercourse (digital penetration) without the woman’s consent.
Both women were Neville’s probation and parole clients.