Parts of the Crown case against the man accused of being the Family Court bomber would make a good script for Monty Python, his solicitor has told a judge. Alan Conolly went on to describe particular claims against his client, Leonard Warwick, as "just so stupid", "wrong, wrong, wrong" and "outrageous and scandalous". "There are so many things missing in this trial," Mr Conolly said on Monday as he began the defence final address in the NSW Supreme Court. Warwick, a 73-year-old former firefighter, has pleaded not guilty to four murders and 20 other offences related to events which occurred between February 1980 and July 1985. The prosecution alleges the events were inextricably linked to drawn-out Family Court proceedings involving Warwick and his ex-wife, Andrea Blanchard, which ran from 1979 to 1986. The first was the fatal shooting of her brother Stephen Blanchard, whose body was found in a creek with 11 bricks fastened to him with rope. Mr Conolly on Monday said Warwick had almost no contact with his brother-in-law and the idea he would shoot him and take his body to a national park was "just so stupid, so stupid". "Blanchard did nothing to worry Mr Warwick," he said. He referred to a newspaper headline at the time which said "suspected drug land killing". "Well Your Honour, it was a drug land killing," Mr Conolly told Justice Peter Garling. The defence had an irksome duty to point out who might have carried out the crime, he said. Another event involved the placing of a bomb under the bonnet of a Holden Torana parked at a house which had previously been owned by the Family Law Court solicitor for Ms Blanchard. But Mr Conolly said the solicitor hadn't lived there for six months, the car targeted had been "an old bomb" and there was no evidence to implicate his client. While the Crown submitted the Torana owner had no enemies, Mr Conolly said it was "patently obvious" that the depth of police investigations had been shallow. "The house was a party house, that came out," he said. "There will be a relentless criticism of police work, which starts with (Stephen) Blanchard." The Crown case involved a fundamental misunderstanding about the operations of the Family Court, which had approved consent orders involving his client. "There are features in this trial which would make a good script for Monty Python." He contended the Crown had agreed Warwick could not be found guilty of the first six events if he was not found guilty of the final one. This involved a bomb that ripped apart a Jehovah's Witnesses hall, killing Graham Wykes and injuring 13 people. Congregation members had been helping Ms Blanchard and the Crown alleges Warwick is linked to the crime by DNA evidence. Mr Conolly said the Crown had put forward inadmissible evidence in its "tendency and coincidence" case linking the hall bomb to the other events. As well as the murders of Mr Wykes and Mr Blanchard, Warwick is accused of the shooting murder of Justice David Opas, the bombing of Justice Richard Gee's home and of the Family Court building in Parramatta; and the bombing of the home of Justice Ray Watson in which his wife Pearl was killed. Mr Conolly will continue his submissions on Tuesday. Australian Associated Press
Lawyer Alan Conolly says some claims against Leonard Warwick (pic) are "outrageous and scandalous".
Parts of the Crown case against the man accused of being the Family Court bomber would make a good script for Monty Python, his solicitor has told a judge.
Alan Conolly went on to describe particular claims against his client, Leonard Warwick, as "just so stupid", "wrong, wrong, wrong" and "outrageous and scandalous".
"There are so many things missing in this trial," Mr Conolly said on Monday as he began the defence final address in the NSW Supreme Court.
Warwick, a 73-year-old former firefighter, has pleaded not guilty to four murders and 20 other offences related to events which occurred between February 1980 and July 1985.
The prosecution alleges the events were inextricably linked to drawn-out Family Court proceedings involving Warwick and his ex-wife, Andrea Blanchard, which ran from 1979 to 1986.
The first was the fatal shooting of her brother Stephen Blanchard, whose body was found in a creek with 11 bricks fastened to him with rope.
Mr Conolly on Monday said Warwick had almost no contact with his brother-in-law and the idea he would shoot him and take his body to a national park was "just so stupid, so stupid".
"Blanchard did nothing to worry Mr Warwick," he said.
He referred to a newspaper headline at the time which said "suspected drug land killing".
"Well Your Honour, it was a drug land killing," Mr Conolly told Justice Peter Garling.
The defence had an irksome duty to point out who might have carried out the crime, he said.
Another event involved the placing of a bomb under the bonnet of a Holden Torana parked at a house which had previously been owned by the Family Law Court solicitor for Ms Blanchard.
But Mr Conolly said the solicitor hadn't lived there for six months, the car targeted had been "an old bomb" and there was no evidence to implicate his client.
While the Crown submitted the Torana owner had no enemies, Mr Conolly said it was "patently obvious" that the depth of police investigations had been shallow.
"The house was a party house, that came out," he said.
"There will be a relentless criticism of police work, which starts with (Stephen) Blanchard."
The Crown case involved a fundamental misunderstanding about the operations of the Family Court, which had approved consent orders involving his client.
"There are features in this trial which would make a good script for Monty Python."
He contended the Crown had agreed Warwick could not be found guilty of the first six events if he was not found guilty of the final one.
This involved a bomb that ripped apart a Jehovah's Witnesses hall, killing Graham Wykes and injuring 13 people.
Congregation members had been helping Ms Blanchard and the Crown alleges Warwick is linked to the crime by DNA evidence.
Mr Conolly said the Crown had put forward inadmissible evidence in its "tendency and coincidence" case linking the hall bomb to the other events.
As well as the murders of Mr Wykes and Mr Blanchard, Warwick is accused of the shooting murder of Justice David Opas, the bombing of Justice Richard Gee's home and of the Family Court building in Parramatta; and the bombing of the home of Justice Ray Watson in which his wife Pearl was killed.
Mr Conolly will continue his submissions on Tuesday.
