KEY POINTS:
One of four Tauranga men, allegedly involved in the theft of hundreds of litres of a highly toxic liquid used in making the drug P, has failed in a bid for electronically monitored bail at the Tauranga District Court today.
Terence Rangihouhiri Tata, 35, and two co-accused were bailed at the beginning of February, with strict conditions including residential, curfew and non-association clauses.
But a week later he was back before Tauranga District Court accused of possessing some of the stolen methamphetamine ingredient.
That time, Tata was remanded in custody, despite the fact his partner was soon due to give birth and the couple had five children aged between 13 and four at home.
Lawyer Tony Balme told Judge Paul Geoghegan today the new baby had not yet arrived "but it should be any time, and he (Tata) wants to be there".
The judge said the "unacceptable risk" that the defendant could interfere with evidence and contact witnesses would still apply if he was on electronically monitored bail.
Although Mr Balme said Tata had not breached the terms of his previous bail and had no idea containers of acid were in the car he was travelling in, Judge Geoghegan said the circumstances "give me great concern".
A huge amount of the stolen chemical had not been located by police.
"It is still out there somewhere," he said.
The judge declined the e-bail application and remanded Tata in custody for a pre-depositions hearing on March 5.
His co-accused, Kerry Kaikohe Kakau, 34; Richard Te Rariki Taingahue, 34, and Clarke Tenawe Castle, 32, are remanded to the same date.
No pleas have yet been entered.
Police have estimated the missing acid, if combined with other ingredients, would be enough to make millions of dollars worth of P.
Tata fell foul of the law again when police stopped a car on February 9 in which he was travelling with Castle.
Police had been searching for Castle but he was not someone Tata had been banned from associating with when he was allowed bail initially.
Officers searched the vehicle and uncovered 11 litres of hypo phosphorous acid, believed to be from the one tonne container of the chemical stolen in an overnight raid on a Mt Maunganui factory on January 10.
The liquid found in Castle's car was allegedly being carried in a 10 litre petrol container and a one litre plastic milk bottle.
Along with the other three, Castle now faces a raft of charges including burglary, conspiring to manufacture P and possessing precursor material for methamphetamine.
- NZPA
