Paul James Bennett, also know as Paul Williams, and his former partner Simone Wright, fled to Sydney in 2015. He was detained and escorted back to New Zealand illegally and wanted the court to therefore stay current charges, his counsel Simon Shamy said. Crown prosecutor Karyn South told Judge Paul Kellar the arguments put forward by Bennett were "nonsense" and based on a timeline which missed out crucial facts. Bennett was arrested in February 2015 when he and his then partner Simone Wright sailed an allegedly stolen yacht to Sydney. Paul James Bennett and Simone Wright are facing charges over allegedly defrauding a Christchurch-based helicopter company.

Source: Stuff July 08, 2019 05:15 UTC