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The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
Blake Foden

Police making it 'impossible' for Kyrgios car robbery case to progress, court told

Nick Kyrgios with his green Tesla Model X. Picture Instagram

Police are making it "impossible" for the man accused of stealing tennis star Nick Kyrgios' car to move his case forward, a court has been told.

The 32-year-old man, who is not being named for legal reasons, appeared in the ACT Magistrates Court via phone on Tuesday.

He is currently remanded in custody on five charges, the most serious of which is aggravated robbery.

His Legal Aid lawyer, Jan de Bruin, said it had been 10 weeks since the man entered not guilty pleas.

While police and prosecutors were supposed to prepare and serve a brief of evidence within six weeks when a person in custody had pleaded not guilty, Dr de Bruin told the court there was still outstanding material.

He said he had received a partial brief that referred to numerous items police had not yet disclosed to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, let alone to him.

Tennis star Nick Kyrgios. Picture by Dion Georgopoulos

Dr de Bruin expressed concern that, unless the material in question was handed over within a week, he was likely to be "in the same boat" next time the matter was in court.

"The outstanding material makes it almost impossible to finalise my instructions," Dr de Bruin said.

"[The defendant] is denied an opportunity to finalise the matter."

A prosecutor told the court her office had been in contact with the Australian Federal Police, which had several officers "seeking to disclose that material".

Magistrate James Lawton ultimately adjourned the case until September 12, warning the prosecutor "the matter must be in a position to proceed" on that date.

The defendant, who is also charged with failing to stop for police, resisting a public official, driving a vehicle without consent and driving while suspended, has been behind bars since his arrest on May 1.

On that day, he allegedly knocked on the door of the Kyrgios family home, in Canberra's north, about 8.30am.

Kyrgios' mother, Norlaila, opened the door to allegedly find the 32-year-old pointing a long-barrelled firearm at her.

The accused man is said to have stolen the keys to Kyrgios' green Tesla Model X, which had been parked in the driveway, before fleeing in the luxury vehicle as the tennis star's mother screamed for help.

Kyrgios, the runner-up at last year's Wimbledon men's singles, was in the family home at the time along with his manager, Daniel Horsfall.

The pair called triple zero while Kyrgios used the Tesla app on his phone to limit the car's speed to 80kmh and track its movements for police.

Nick Kyrgios thanks fans for their support days after the alleged robbery. Picture Instagram

After pursuing the vehicle across several suburbs, police were able to stop it and arrest the driver in Ainslie.

Officers later found the shotgun allegedly used in the incident while searching a home in Gilmore, where investigators also seized other weapons, fireworks and a BMW that had been rented but not returned.

Soon after the incident, Kyrgios thanked his fans for their support by posting on Instagram.

"Last couple days has been rough ... haven't slept much and battling a little," he wrote at the time.

"Appreciative of all the support."

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