W and K in court. Photo / Paul Estcourt
The war medal theft suspects appeared in court again today on unrelated fraud and burglary charges.
The men, who can only be known as W and K because of a court order, did not oppose applications by media organisations to photograph and film them during the hearing at
the Auckland District Court.
Suspect W faces 44 fraud-related charges.
Suspect K faces twelve fraud and burglary-related charges in the same case.
The two men also appeared in the same court last week on another, also unrelated, series of burglary charges.
No arrests have been made in the theft of 97 war medals, including nine Victoria Crosses, from Waiouru Army Museum on December 2.
Police raided addresses linked to W and K last week, as well as Mt Eden prison where W is being held.
W was wearing a Mt Eden Prison uniform in court today.
He and K, who is on bail, whispered to each other briefly while in the dock.
The hearing today revealed Chris Comeskey, the lawyer who has claimed credit for the return of the medals, is acting for W.
Mr Comeskey did not appear today, with his associate Jesse Soondram in court instead.
The reason the two men cannot be named is an interim suppression order protecting W's identity in relation to court documents outlining a deal he struck with police over the return of a stolen Goldie painting.
The deal saw him free on bail when the medals were stolen on December 2 after police dropped charges against him in exchange for the return of the Goldie and other artefacts taken from the University of Auckland in an earlier crime.
K ran from last week's court hearing and into Mr Comeskey's office, eventually jumping from an upper-floor window and making a series of dramatic leaps to the street below to escape waiting media.
