ONE of two men accused of stealing an Aboriginal flag from a memorial to a well-respected Chief Inspector Tony Townsend, who passed away in August, has denied the charge against him in court.
Gregory John Walker, 36, appeared in Maitland Local Court on Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to a larceny charge stemming from an alleged incident on September 1.
Police claim Walker and his co-accused, 60-year-old John Schultz, stole the Aboriginal flag from Maitland Police Station about 6.45pm.
According to officers, a review of CCTV revealed one of the men went inside while the other removed the flag from the display and allegedly hid it in his jacket before they both left the area.
Schultz was arrested by Port Stephens Hunter Police District officers just before 3pm on September 8 at Victoria Street Train Station, while Walker was arrested a day later at Maitland Police Station.
Walker will return to court in November.
The Aboriginal flag, which was laid along with a floral arrangement by a representative from the Mindaribba Aboriginal Land Council, has since been recovered.
