Rotorua drugs trial: Money 'was to buy car'

Money Debbie Norma Edwards had on her when she was arrested by police had been given to her to buy a car for her daughter not drugs, a Rotorua court was told.
The 50-year-old is on trial in Rotorua District Court for a charge of possession of methamphetamine for supply.
The Crown has told the court Edwards was in business with her co-accused Duane Alan Donald Slater, 41, who pleaded guilty to the same charge on the morning of trial.
The pair were arrested after police found them in the driveway of a Tokoroa home on June 21 last year in a stolen car. Before their arrest police noticed a large amount of new clothing on the back seat of the car.
As a result police searched the vehicle and found a small amount of cannabis in the front console, 32.3g of methamphetamine (P), a set of digital scales with traces of P on it, a number of self-sealing plastic bags for packaging the drug in for sale and $1100 in cash.
Police also discovered two cellphones in the car. One in the bag with the drugs in it belonging to Slater and the other in a bag belonging to Edwards with the cash in it.
Edwards claimed she knew nothing about the drugs but the money was hers, when interviewed by police.
Crown prosecutor Laura Owen has told the court the money was for use by the pair to source the drugs, which would then be on-sold to clients.
Three people, Edwards' daughter, partner and a friend of her partner's gave evidence yesterday in the trial stating the money was to be used to buy a car for her teenage daughter.
Edward's daughter Kelly-Ann Kemp said she had been given a large amount of cash by her step-father Dennis Hohepa to hang on to the week before her mother was arrested because she was "tight" with her "purse strings" and wouldn't let them spend it.
The money was from the sale of firewood, she said.
However, the day before her mother's arrest, she was asked to return the money so a car could be bought in Auckland for her sister, she said in evidence.
She told the court her 18-year-old sister didn't have a car at the time and had never had one.
Although she didn't know how much was given to her, Mrs Kemp said it was "red and orange" bills.
When cross examined by Ms Owen, Mrs Kemp said she hadn't made it up to get her mother out of trouble.
Edwards' partner, Dennis Hohepa, gave similar evidence. However, when asked about a Subaru car at their shared home, he admitted it belonged to the 18-year-old step-daughter "but she had never driven it".
The money was given in $100 and $50 bills, he stated.
A friend of Hohepa, Mark Sheridan, said he witnessed Hohepa giving $1500 cash to Edwards the days she left for Auckland.
He was at the house selling a chainsaw to Hohepa at the time.
"She was going on a trip, something about getting a car for her daughter," he said.
Mr Sheridan said the money, counted out in front of him, was in $50 notes.
The crown and defence lawyer, Andy Schulze are expected to close their cases today with Judge John Macdonald due to sum up this morning and then send out the jury.