3 Dec 2014

Witness denies starting storage unit fire

3:28 pm on 3 December 2014

A witness at the trial of Angelo Bitossi, who is accused of setting fire to a storage unit in Wellington, has denied being responsible for the blaze.

Fire crews were called to the blaze at 12.45am on Friday.

The blaze at Kiwi Self-Storage in Kilbirnie in April. Photo: RNZ / Diego Opatowski

Mr Bitossi is before the High Court in Wellington on one charge of arson, which he denies.

The 35-year-old is accused of setting fire to the Kiwi Self-Storage facility in Kilbirnie in April this year, causing millions of dollars of damage. Many people lost irreplaceable items, including Oscar statues.

Witness James Brodie told the High Court in Wellington today that he had known Mr Bitossi for many years and knew he was a friend of Darren McKinley, the man who rented the storage unit where the fire began.

Mr Brodie admitted that his family disliked the accused because of trouble he had caused them.

Defence lawyer Douglas Ewen suggested to the witness that shoes shown in a police photo of the crime scene were his. Mr Brodie said they might look like shoes he owned, but it was not him in the photo and denied being responsible for the fire.

Angelo Bitossi [www.radionz.co.nz/news/regional/260667/storage-fire-caused-by-falling-out had name suppression until the start of his trial] but Justice Simon France today refused to continue suppression.

Mr Ewen obtained an urgent hearing in the Court of Appeal in Wellington today in an effort to have the suppression continued. However, that court declined the request and also refused to grant leave for a further appeal to the Supreme Court.