‘Golden eagle given to me in crack-house drug deal’ - court hears (From South Wales Argus)

‘Golden eagle given to me in crack-house drug deal’ - court hears

10:40am Wednesday 20th March 2013 in News

A MAN accused of robbing two Newport doctors said he was given a gold-plated ornamental eagle belonging to the victims as part of a drugs deal.

Edward Donovan told the jury at Cardiff Crown Court that he was at a crack house in the Pill area of Newport in the early hours of September 9, selling what he described as a cocaine-type drug, when he was approached by a man who was looking for drugs and offering the eagle.

Donovan said he gave him some money and drugs in exchange for it. He said the eagle was given to him in a suitcase which, he found out later, also contained some foreign currency.

Donovan, who said he was a drug addict at the time, said the man also wanted to know if anybody wanted to buy a car. Donovan said he told him he knew of someone in Cardiff, leading to the man driving the car with Donovan and his co-defendant, Rhiannon Gibbons, to Cardiff.

But Donovan said the man crashed the car off the road and set fire to it before abandoning them. Donovan denied knowing where the property had come from.

Donovan, 51, of Windmill Square, Commercial Road, and Gibbons, 27, of Newport Hotel, ChepstowRoad, both of Newport, are currently standing trial, both charged with two counts of robbery, wounding Dr Prana Das with intent, the unlawful wounding of Prana Das and assault occasioning actual bodily harm in relation to Dr Nishebita Das. They deny the charges.

Items stolen during the incident included Nishebita Das’ BMW, later found burnt out, cash in sterling and foreign currency, a Nokia mobile phone, a gold-plated ornamental eagle and thousands of pounds’ worth of jewellery.

When asked whether he had been near the home of Prana and Nishebita Das at the Gorelands on the night of the incident, Donovan denied ever going there.

Proceeding.