Police are still attempting to locate a wanted man from Young who was due to face trial in Wagga’s District Court on Monday morning.
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Last week, police appealed to the public to help them locate William Jethro Bell, 42, when he went missing after his bail was revoked.
Bell was due to face trial in Wagga’s District Court on Monday in relation to three separate charges: armed robbery using an offensive weapon, two counts of possessing a prohibited drug, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
However, come Monday morning, Bell was nowhere to be found when his defence lawyers arrived at the courthouse ahead of his trial.
When questioned by the District Court judge Gordon Lerve, Bell’s defence lawyer said law enforcement authorities were still attempting to locate Bell.
“I’ve been told great lengths have been gone to find him, but that’s been unsuccessful,” he said.
The court moved to delayed Bell’s trial to this Friday in the hope that authorities will be able to locate him by then.
However, if Bell does not show up by Friday, the court will have no choice but to delay his trial even further.
In their appeal for public assistance, police described Bell as being of Caucasian appearance and about 175 centimetres tall.
He has a shaved head and a number of tattoos, including the name ‘Tristan’ tattooed on his neck.
Police say he frequents Young as well as some surrounding towns including Wagga Wagga and Gundagai.
He has also been sighted in Queanbeyan and Tamworth.
Police are urging members of the public not to approach Bell, but to instead contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 with any information they might have regarding his whereabouts.
Police in the Hume Police District issued a statement on Wednesday May 16 asking for the public’s help in locating the local man who is wanted on failure to appear warrants in both Young and elsewhere.