NOTORIOUS bush fugitives Mark and Gino Stocco have been ordered by an Inverell court to formally surrender a raft of suspected stolen goods found by police at a hideaway in the New England.
Police discovered the stash of goods during the wild police chase to catch the pair in 2015.
The items, hidden in an industrial shed in Glen Innes, were uncovered along with a getaway car with links to the Stoccos.
That car was loaded with suspected stolen goods including firearms, camping and other equipment but no charges were laid against the pair over the local incidents.
New England police applied for a court order to have the remaining goods in police custody disposed of. The application was lodged and heard in Inverell Local Court last week.
Neither of the Stoccos, who are being housed in prison, appeared in court for the mention.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Cheryl Hall said consent had been given by a Legal Aid solicitor from Dubbo, who had been representing the pair, and a letter was tendered to the court.
After no objection from the parties, Magistrate Michael O’Brien granted the application “by consent”.
According to court documents, most of the goods were categorised as farming, rural or camping equipment.
The list of goods spanned several pages and included a number of pumps, boxes of tools, generators, a lawn mower, a whipper snipper, camping goods, jerry cans and gas cylinders.
An air-conditioner, televisions, a battery charger, a box trailer, radios and street directories, were also included as part of the police application.
New England Detective Inspector Ann Joy confirmed to Fairfax Media that police had traced some of the goods found in the storage shed to their rightful owners.
But she said after extensive investigations, several goods remained in police custody, which triggered the application to the court.
The father-and-son pair were jailed in late-March for a maximum of 40 years' jail for a raft of offences, including murdering a farm caretaker in the Central West in 2015.
Specially-trained police from Armidale and Tamworth helped to arrest the fugitives on a property near Dunedoo on October 28, 2015, bringing to an end an eight-year manhunt across three states.
The dramatic arrest came after the father-and-son had criss-crossed NSW and Victoria, and were being investigated for a raft of crimes across the Barwon and New England commands where there were reported sightings, close calls or evidence left behind of the two near Glen Innes, Warialda, Bingara and also near Coolatai.
The pair will be eligible for parole in 2043 and 2045.
Breanna Chillingworth
Northern Daily Leader Senior Crime and Court Reporter
Northern Daily Leader Senior Crime and Court Reporter
