A MAN alleged to have robbed a Basingstoke drug dealer has no evidence against him to prove that he was a willing party in the plan that resulted in his brother's death, a jury has been told.
Reece Harkness, 20, of Cleaver Road, Buckskin, is on trial at Winchester Crown Court accused of conspiracy to rob Jordan Clarke.
It is alleged that Reece Harkness, along with his elder brother Troy Harkness, 22, and Zack Mason, 20, of no fixed abode, conspired to rob Mr Clarke on January 19, 2022.
On the same night, Troy Harkness was found seriously injured in Abbey Road, near the junction with Popley Way.
He was taken to Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
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In August last year, Mr Clarke was found not guilty of murdering the 22-year-old.
Now, the younger brother Reece Harkness, has gone on trial at Winchester Crown Court accused of conspiracy to rob Mr Clarke.
Harkness denies the offence, while Mason pleaded guilty in January.
The jury has now been sent to deliberate whether Reece Harkness is guilty or not guilty.
During the closing statement of the alleged robbery trial on Tuesday, February 14, defence counsel Michael Cogan told the jury that this case should never have reached the court as "it is an attempt to protect the rights of a drug dealer".
Mr Cogan added that his client Reece Harkness didn't know Mr Clarke before the incident.
"Reece is now 20. He was 18 at that time. He is going to remember this for the rest of his life. He grew up in care and he was moved around the country. He only had one previous conviction which was for possession of cannabis. He is not a regular visitor to these courts. He is not a criminal."
He added that Reece Harkness was not charged with robbery, and he is only accused of being "a known participant in the robbery conspiracy".
Meanwhile, prosecutor Tom Wilkins told jury members during his closing statement on Monday, February 13, that it was Reece Harkness who “recruited” his brother Troy to join the plan before he was killed.
Mr Wilkins said: “The first question is whether there was an agreement to rob Mr Clarke. The evidence to that question is from multiple sources, including the guilty plea by Zack Mason. It also comes from Reece Harkness’s defence statement.
“The second question is whether Reece Harkness agreed to join the agreement to rob Mr Clarke. There is evidence for this from the witness statements and the messages sent between Reece and his girlfriend, who is also a witness.
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“If you conclude that there was a conspiracy and that this man agreed to join it, then he is a party to it.”
Mr Wilkins further said: “Reece was not just a party, but he was the one who recruited Troy.”
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