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Newcastle Herald
Newcastle Herald
National
Sam Rigney

Prosecutors plan to drop charge over Kurri Kurri death

Newcastle courthouse.

PROSECUTORS will drop the most serious charges against a man accused of causing the death of Tony Williams at Kurri Kurri in 2021 after his lawyers filed a no bill application with the DPP.

Robert Raymond Dennehy, 50, is currently listed to face a two-week trial in Newcastle District Court in October on a number of serious domestic violence offences, including manslaughter and assaulting causing death.

But the Newcastle Herald reported earlier this month that Mr Dennehy's lawyers, led by Public Defender Lizzie McLaughlin, were arguing there should be no further proceedings in the matter and the DPP were considering a no bill application.

The matter was listed again on Thursday to check on the preparation of the trial, but instead Crown prosecutor Brian Costello said the trial would be vacated and it was anticipated Mr Dennehy would plead guilty to a charge of reckless wounding.

The other more serious charges will be withdrawn when Mr Dennehy, currently on bail and residing in Queensland, enters the plea via audio visual link next Thursday.

It is expected that Mr Dennehy, who spent about a year in jail while bail refused, will be sentenced on November 6.

The Herald revealed in September last year that Mr Dennehy's charges were being upgraded after an alleged assault on Tony Williams at a unit in Hughes Close at Kurri Kurri about 7pm on October 6, 2021.

Mr Dennehy was initially charged with reckless wounding and assault occasioning actual bodily harm (both domestic violence related), but after Williams' death an autopsy was conducted and the DPP upgraded the charges to include manslaughter and the one-punch law of assault causing death.

A year later and those more serious charges will soon be withdrawn and the matter will be back near where it started.

Mr Dennehy was refused bail after his arrest in October, 2021, but was granted bail a year later in Newcastle District Court after being arraigned and pleading not guilty to all four charges.

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