An uncle of the late actor Heath Ledger has failed to avoid having charges of receiving stolen goods dealt with by the West Australian District Court and faces up to 14 years in jail if convicted.
Haydn Ledger, 52, of Woodbridge in Perth's north-east, was charged after police seized three bobcats valued at $137,000 from Perth industrial sites in June and July.
Midland magistrate's court was told today that the theft of a truck valued at $300,000 was also involved in the alleged heist, but was not found in Ledger's possession.
Magistrate Alan Roberts, in deciding the matter should be sent to the district court for trial, said he could not ignore the fact that the charges were linked to a theft worth almost half a million dollars.
He said magistrates court penalties for such offences - two years jail or a $24,000 fine - were inadequate given the seriousness of the charges.
The matter continues as Mr Roberts hears legal argument from Ledger's lawyer George Giudice on Mr Roberts findings.