''HE will rule the peoples of the world, with JUSTICE and FAIRNESS''-- Psalms 98:9
Alledged triple murderer, Massiomo (Max) Sica, has been granted funding for his choice of defense counsel by Legal Aid Queensland following a two and a half year battle into this matter.
The 41 year old man was charged with 20 child sex offences in October of 2008, and whilst on being on bail for the matters, was later charged on 30 december 2008 for the triple murder of Neelma Singh 24, Kunal Singh 18, and 12 year old Sidhi Singh whose bodies were discovered in a spa bath on 22/04/03.
Following Massino (Max) Sica's arrest into these matters Miss Kerry Smith Douglas (from Kerry Smith Douglas Solicitors) and Mr Sam Di Carlo (from Gregory Court Chambers) have worked "pro-bono" for Mr Sica, until earlier this year when Mr Di Carlo announced that he was no longer able to work on that basis. The accussed, Max Sica has since been representing himself after constanty refusing to accept LAQ's offer to provide funding on the basis that the matters be kept "in-house".
Mr Di Carlo and Howden Sagger Solicitors sought a review into Sica's funding issues on the grounds that there was conflict of interest between the parties involved, and that the communication levels had broken down to an extent that Mr Sica did not feel confident in LAQ handling the matter inhouse. Despite many applications and appeals from legal law firms for funding on behalf of Mr Sica, Legal Aid Queensland has always strongly stood their grounds on the decision made by them.
However, on Friday 16th September (just 2 days before Massimo Sica's bail application was to be heard in court), at around 4-4:30pm, Howden Sagger Solicitors recieved a call from LAQ stating that they have decided to approve funding for Mr Sica's choice of defense counsel.
Max Sica was due to attempt bail again, after several failed applications in the past, on the grounds that he had not received all the brief of evidence from the Crown and lacked facilities in prison to be able to view the digital and electronic evidence, unable to do research or make phone calls for his defense or speak to witnesses without the prying eyes of corrective services, who have in the past worked with QPS to electonically equip an inmate for information on Mr Sica. There were a number of issues that was to be dealt with in his bail application, including Mr Sica's allegation that another inmate had recently been approached by authorities to make a deal with them and act as an informant into Mr Sica (and two other inmates) matters and that they had given out information to this person about his case.
The main arguement for Max Sica's bail application was that he was self-represented for a triple murder trial which begins on January 31st next year and is likely to last more than 20 weeks.
Max Sica's bail application will not be going ahead now, as LAQ has finally agreed after two and a half years to provide funding for his choice of counsel, hence there being no proper grounds for the application to be heard.
It is likely that Mr Sica will be represented officially by Mr Sam Di Carlo and Howden Sagger Solicitors for the murder trial now.
