Making minced meat of a witness

Mark Morri  | The Daily Telegraph | 29 June 2011

A MAN allegedly hired a hitman to put nine people through an industrial mincer, including two police officers and the young children of a crown witness who was going to testify against him, a court heard yesterday.

Police documents tendered to the court claim the accused, Rajesh Gooroochurn, said he wanted the potential victims put through a mincer and their remains fed to pigs to dispose of the bodies.

Gooroochurn allegedly detailed how their homes should be invaded, keycards removed and family members' fingers cut off if they didn't reveal pin numbers.

He also asked that the two police officers who charged him be followed home from work and murdered.

The 42-year-old appeared in the NSW Supreme Court yesterday via video link.

The court heard Gooroochurn suffered from schizophrenia, asthma and diabetes.

However Justice Michael Adams said he had little hesitation in refusing bail given that the accused's illnesses were not part of Gooroochurn's defence and that the alleged conversations by Gooroochurn were not "delusional or psychotic".

Paraphrasing a police statement, Justice Adams outlined the allegations against Gooroochurn, who has denied all the charges and will fight them in a trial this year. Justice Adams said the accused was arrested in 2008 by police in relation to the supply of drugs in southern Sydney.

While waiting for his bail hearing in Parklea prison, police allege he approached another inmate and asked if he knew anyone who could get a couple of people "buried".Documents tendered to the court show that police will allege an undercover policeman acted as a hitman and visited the accused in jail and recorded their conversation.

Documents tendered to the court alleged Gooroochurn wanted to have a witness in his drug trial and a Sydney solicitor killed.

On January 21, 2009, he was charged with two counts of soliciting murder, appeared in Parramatta Court and remanded in custody.

The Mauritian national was transferred to Long Bay jail where police allege he asked inmates if they could help get people "knocked".

Police will allege it became "apparent" during monitoring electronic evidence that the accused was trying to arrange the murders of a prosecution witness, a woman, an 11-year-old boy and a three-year-old girl.

He also wanted to kill another witness, a solicitor, an associate and two detectives from Mt Druitt, documents tendered to the court allege.

The trial is listed for October 31.