Man held in custody in relation to city siege

A CENTENARY Heights man accused of holding police at bay for three hours during an alleged siege at a residence in the Toowoomba suburb has been held in custody.

Nicholas Mervyn Hicks was taken into custody by police on Friday and had his matters briefly mentioned before Toowoomba Magistrates Court on Saturday morning when his matters were adjourned to yesterday.

He was expected to apply for bail but his solicitor Joe McConnell, of MacDonald Law, told the court his client was not required to be brought up from the watch house into court as there would be no application for bail at this stage.

The 31-year-old faced 12 fresh charges arising from alleged incidents at a Hunter St residence early on Friday morning, including unlawful use of a motor vehicle, wilful damage, receiving tainted property and possessing ammunition.

Police had gone to the residence on the report of a stolen vehicle and claimed as a result of a search of the house after Hicks’s arrest that drugs and a drug utensil were found.

Despite reports that there may have been a weapon inside the house, police reported no gun was found.

Hicks was already on bail for alleged incidents dating back to October last year which included unlawful possession of a weapon.

He has not been required to enter any pleas to the charges.

Mr McConnell asked for an adjournment of all matters.

Magistrate Graham Lee therefore remanded Hicks in custody and adjourned all matters for mention back in the same court on March 18.