A KELSO man charged over alleged historic sex offences has been refused bail.
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Richard John McPhillamy, 59, of Kelso, made a release application before magistrate Kevin Hockey on Tuesday afternoon following his arrest by police a day earlier.
McPhillamy was charged by police attached to Strike Force Belle on Monday afternoon with four counts of sexual intercourse with a person under the age of 10 and nine counts of sexual intercourse with a person aged 10-16, under authority.
In his show cause submissions on Tuesday, McPhillamy's solicitor James Taylor,said the crown case wasn't a strong one, instead relying on evidence from the complainant along with telephone intercepts which, he said, "at most only disclosed an association".
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Mr Taylor said McPhillamy was released from custody some two-and-a-half years ago and, apart from one matter, he said there was no recent offending on his record.
He said the court would be aware of the timetable it takes for strictly indictable matters to be finalised and said if his client was refused bail he would spend "a long time in custody".
Mr Taylor said his client was engaging a Sydney-based solicitor to act for him again, which, if in custody, would make it difficult to obtain legal advice.
He said the accused could continue to reside with his mother in Kelso and was employed locally with a trucking company.
Mr Taylor said his client could report daily if necessary as well as abide by a curfew.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Darren Pearce said the accused had failed to show cause why his detention was not justified.
He said any difficulty accessing counsel was a burden faced by all in custody and, since COVID, video conferencing was widely available. He said the prosecution case was a strong one.
In determining the application Mr Hockey said he wasn't satisfied cause had been shown.
McPhillamy was refused bail with the matter to return to Bathurst Local Court on April 12. McPhillamy will appear via AVL.
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