A teenager charged with aggravated burglary yesterday admitted lying to police in an effort to distance himself from the investigation.During a recorded police interview, defendant Leo Burgess, 17, denied that he was friends with 14-year-old Tristan Wilson, the son of the victim.However, taking the stand in Supreme Court yesterday morning, he said the pair had been friends for years, with Mr Wilson calling Mr Burgess his big brother.Asked by Crown counsel Nicole Smith why he had lied, he admitted that he was trying to distance himself from the offence, saying that it had been rumoured the culprits were friends of Tristan.He also said that a day after the incident, a friend told him that the culprits were “Kenny, Goriko Taniko and Blaine,” and he told the court that he believed all four were members of the MOB gang.Asked why he had not given police more information about the men, he said he was afraid of possible retaliation.“The police only care about themselves,” he said. “I was worried about my life. I get killed and what are they going to say? Another dead boy?”He stands charged with aggravated burglary and possessing a firearm while being under the age of 18.He has pleaded not guilty to both counts.Earlier in the trial, victim Gregory Wilson said that at around noon on December 6 four men, two wielding handguns, broke into his home through his son’s window and demanded cash and jewellery.The suspects escaped with around $65,000 of cash and jewellery.Officers searching the scene later that day discovered a discarded pair of latex surgical gloves and a red bandanna, which matched items Mr Wilson testified were worn by one of the burglars.Mr Burgess’ DNA was identified on both the gloves and the bandanna.Testifying yesterday, Mr Burgess said that on the Saturday before the robbery he had used a pair of latex gloves and a rag to clean a muddy pair of football boots.When he was finished, he put the gloves in a black bag he had borrowed from his mother, which contained a red bandanna and his pads, and left the bag outside.The next day he said he started to feel ill and on Monday, the day of the incident, he decided to stay home sick.At around 11am that day he said his sister visited the house, but for the rest of the day he stayed inside watching DVDs with his mother.He said that on the day after the incident he noticed the bag containing the gloves, pads and the red bandanna was missing, but didn’t worry about it because he had a second set of pads.In cross examination, Ms Smith asked why Mr Burgess failed to mention his sister’s visit in the recorded police interview, but had instead said that his cousin Tarik Bean had visited the house.He responded: “I got mixed up.”Also taking the stand yesterday was Cindy Burgess, Mr Burgess’ mother.Questioned by defence attorney Shade Subair, representing Mr Burgess, Ms Burgess told the court that she had watched her son wash his boots on the Saturday before the incident.She also told the court that on the day the robbery took place she had called her son’s school to tell them he was sick and spend the day watching films with her son until around 4pm.“Leo was in and out of sleep,” she said. “We were just sitting on the couch watching movies.”Ms Smith however said that Mrs Burgess was lying to protect her son from prison, calling her story a fabrication.Mrs Burgess responded: “I’m just trying to protect him with the truth.“I have been through hell since day one. My son gets picked up, a bunch of cops come in to my house and try to arrest my son, and I don’t know why.”Mr Burgess’ older sister Carlisha Burgess also took to the stand in her brother’s defence, saying she had stopped by her mother’s home to use the shower and change clothes and had seen her brother on the couch.“I asked him what he was doing home from school and he said he was home sick,” she said.