One of two men who were facing charges for an armed robbery against a woman and her son, swore at a juror who read out a guilty verdict in Orange District Court on Monday.
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Kurt Douglas Edwards, 28, of Orange, yelled a profanity at a male juror who said the jury found the men “guilty” of being armed with a firearme which was used to assault with the intention of robbing, and for being armed with a dangerous weapon.
His cousin Allan Edwards, 28, of Bourke, was also found guilty of the same charges and remained silent while his verdict was read out.
The 12-member jury deliberated on the decision for two hours on Friday and until after lunch on Monday following a week-long trial.
The men were found guilty of using a firearm to threaten a woman outside a Lords Place residence, and an 13-year-old boy, who was inside the house.
Last week, the jury heard that the men went to the house seeking illicit drugs on May 21, 2016, but were told there were no drugs.
During the trial, the jury was also told that a man entered the house, made the boy lie on the floor, and then stole a woman’s handbag, an iPad and iPhone.
Although no firearm was located in the police investigation, the jury came to the decision after hearing evidence from the female victim and her teenage son, who described the gun.
A third witness, Alicia Marie Howarth, was also arrested and brought to court to fulfill her subpoena said she had gone to the house with the men, and another man.
Following the verdict, Judge Rodney Madgwick was presented with both men’s criminal records and other documents for sentencing. He also offered to adjourn the case for a couple of months so a pre-sentence report could be made, which he said could benefit both men.
“The matter won’t proceed today,” Judge Madgwick said.
However, both men objected saying they had been held in custody for close to two-and-a-half years while waiting for police to gather evidence and for the matter to go to trial.
Judge Madgwick allowed both men to meet privately with their legal counsel.
They both asked for the matters to be finalised as soon as possible and for Judge Madgwick to deal with any breaches of bonds that could result from the offences.
Although a new pre-sentence report will not be made for each matter Judge Madgwick did request access to their recent medical histories. He adjourned the matters until next week when Kurt and Allan Edwards will be sentenced.
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