Prison Visitor Charged
Newcastle Herald
Tuesday January 8, 2008
A SYDNEY man who allegedly tried to smuggle a loaded gun, thousands of dollars in cash and drugs, including Viagra and ecstasy, into Cessnock Corrective Centre has been given conditional bail.
Zaidoun Al-Majid, 22, of Busby, appeared in Maitland Local Court yesterday to answer charges including carrying a weapon in a place of detention, possessing stolen goods and firearm offences.Police facts tendered in court allege that at 9.30am on Sunday, corrective services staff stopped a black Mazda carrying three males inside the grounds of Cessnock Corrective Centre. Al-Majid was driving the vehicle.A search of the vehicle allegedly revealed a bag in the front containing a Viagra tablet, ecstasy tablets and $2630 cash. This was later identified by a co-accused, Daniel Jeffery, as his property.Jeffery was charged at Maitland Police Station and conditionally bailed to appear in Cessnock Local Court on February 12.In the back seat of the vehicle a second bag was found, allegedly containing a self-loading pistol fitted with a fully loaded magazine and a round in the chamber. It is alleged a serial number on the pistol had been removed. Also in the bag was $5825 in cash and Al-Majid's driver's licence.The facts alleged that corrective services staff heard Jeffery telling a third person who was travelling in back of the car to "take the rap" for the bag that was found at his feet.Police interviewed the three separately, with Jeffery then denying ownership of the bag. Al-Majid declined to comment after receiving legal advice. The third person, who confessed to owning the bag found in the front of the car (under Jeffery's feet) and owning its contents, was not charged.Al-Majid's barrister Alex Radojev told the court his client was a self-employed floor sander who was visiting friends at the jail on Sunday.He said his client denied allegations that property in a bag including guns, cash and drugs, were his and had no knowledge of how they got there.The court heard that Al-Majid has no previous convictions and this was his first time in custody.Magistrate Stephen Jackson granted Al-Majid conditional bail with $20,000 security.He was released yesterday afternoon.
© 2008 Newcastle Herald
