Jury deliberates in meth-making case

A jury will continue to deliberate this morning in a case where a Taranaki man is accused of making methamphetamine in a clandestine lab.

Following a police raid of an Opunake property on July 5, 2016, Kevin Martin Matthews was charged with four drug offences, namely manufacturing methamphetamine, and possessing two materials to make the drug, along with the equipment to do so.

The 49-year-old previously pleaded not guilty to the charges and his trial in the New Plymouth District Court began on Tuesday.

The jury of six women and six men heard from prosecutor Jacob Bourke and Crown witnesses called in the case that police had acted on information that there was a clandestine P lab operating at an Opunake Rd address in Te Kiri.

During the execution of the search warrant, Matthews was found at the property along with equipment, phosphorus acid and iodine. Analysis of some of the seized items found a residue of methamphetamine as well as Matthews’ fingerprints.

In his defence, which was put forward by lawyer Peter Kaye yesterday morning, Matthews denied any involvement in methmaking.

‘‘The defence to that is he did no such thing, he took no part at all in the process,’’ Kaye said.

He told the jury that while fingerprints had been found on the equipment, which might indicate Matthews at least knew about them, that was ‘‘never enough on its own’’.

Matthews elected not to give evidence in his defence, but one witness was called.

The 39-year-old woman was in a relationship at the time of the police search with another man who lived with Matthews at the Opunake Rd address.

She told the court the day before the police raid, she saw Matthews at the property and described him as being in a ‘‘very agitated’’ state.

The witness said this was unusual as Matthews was a ‘‘calm, good man’’.

Closing submissions were made before Judge Kevin Glubb summed up the case for the jury. It deliberated until 4.50pm before being released for the evening.

The jury will recommence its consideration of the case from 10am today.