KEY POINTS:
PERTH- Uncle of late actor Heath Ledger appeared in an Australian court Monday on charges connected to the alleged theft of tractors.
Haydn Ledger, 52, appeared in Midland Magistrates Court the southwestern Australian city of Perth charged with receiving stolen goods. He did not enter a plea.
Police say one tractor was stolen from a building site on June 1 and two others disappeared from a contractor's yard on July 6.
Philip Saunders, 40, was charged with stealing two of the tractors and appeared in Perth Magistrates Court last week. Saunders was also charged with illegal possession of a weapon and drug possession.
Ledger's lawyer George Giudice told magistrate Alan Roberts on Monday that the charges should be heard in magistrates court, where Ledger could receive a maximum penalty of two years imprisonment or a fine of 24,000 Australian dollars (US$23,400).
Prosecutors argued the charges should be heard in district court, where they carry a maximum penalty of 14 years in jail.
Roberts extended Ledger's bail and adjourned the hearing until Aug. 26.
Ledger is a brother of Heath Ledger's father. He declined to comment to reporters as he left court.
Heath Ledger died of an accidental prescription drug overdose in January.
- AAP
