DANIEL Thomas Mercer, the third man charged over a chaotic abduction at Hamilton South in 2019 that ended in one of the kidnappers being stabbed to death, will face a trial in Newcastle District Court next year.
In May this year, more than 14 months after Killian Reynolds was rammed off the road, chased down, abducted, bashed and stripped naked, detectives went back to the unit in Coady Street where much of the chaos had occurred and charged Mr Mercer.
The 32-year-old, who is represented by solicitor Matthew Unwin, appeared in Newcastle Local Court via audio visual link from Cessnock Correctional Centre on Wednesday.
Mr Mercer, who was successful in being granted bail after his arrest in May but is now behind bars, was committed for trial on charges of take or detain in company with intent to gain advantage and occasion actual bodily harm and reckless grievous bodily harm in company.
He will next appear in Newcastle District Court in February where he will plead not guilty and get a trial date.
Mr Mercer, unlike his co-accuseds Timothy Onslow and Brendon Cook, is not accused of ramming Mr Reynolds off the road in Donald Street, Hamilton and bundling him into a car.
And he is not accused of repeatedly striking him in the head and stripping him naked.
Instead, detectives allege that while a naked and bleeding Mr Reynolds was sat in a chair at Mr Mercer's unit in Coady Street, Mr Mercer stood over him with a machete and said words to the effect of: "Don't even think about f---ing going anywhere, don't f---ing move."
That allegation stems directly from an induced statement Mr Reynolds gave in March, a year after the alleged kidnapping and two months after the DPP withdrew the manslaughter charge against him in relation to the death of one of the other alleged kidnappers, 51-year-old Valentino Taufaao, known as "Malou".
And it was that delay in identifying Mr Mercer and the circumstances in which the statement was made that Mr Unwin jumped on when making an ultimately successful bid for bail on behalf of Mr Mercer in Newcastle Local Court in May.
And it is that issue that is expected to be a crucial factor in Mr Mercer's defence at his upcoming trial.
Meanwhile, Mr Cook, who was behind the wheel of the car used in the terrifying abduction, has pleaded guilty to his role, but denies entering the unit where the stabbing occurred.
His matter is listed for sentence in March, 2021.
And Mr Onslow, who has pleaded not guilty to the same charges as Mr Mercer, will face a trial in May.
