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A ship proprietor charged after a deadly marine incident on the Brisbane River has claimed a “drug crime syndicate” might have been accountable.
Stan Anthoulas, 54, says he obtained demise threats, was “adopted by vehicles” and had been confronted by a “predatory group” earlier than the February 2016 tragedy that claimed a girl’s life.
“I consider it’s a drug crime syndicate. I’ve proof that … can be very useful to the police however … they maintain shutting the door on me,” Anthoulas instructed the District Court docket on Monday.
Representing himself, Anthoulas stated he had been in a relationship with the girl however she was concerned within the “improper crowd” and issued him a warning a few 12 months earlier than the incident.
“She instructed me to watch out, that my life could possibly be in peril,” he instructed the jury.
“From that second on I used to be being adopted by vehicles.”
Anthoulas offered licence plate numbers to police however was instructed “there’s nothing we are able to do”.
He additionally believed there have been different suspicious incidents within the lead-up to the boat sinking.
Anthoulas insinuated foul play after a wheel fell off his automobile whereas driving on a Brisbane freeway earlier than his trailer suffered the identical destiny days later.
“I’ve been driving for 30 years or so. I’ve by no means misplaced a wheel. But two within the house of every week?” Anthoulas instructed the jury.
Demise threats then began earlier than Anthoulas claimed he was pressured to evade a “predatory group” ready for him when he arrived to satisfy a pal at a Brisbane lodge.
When Choose Tony Moynihan requested what was the relevance of his claims, Anthoulas stated: “I consider on that day of that boating incident … there was a predatory group ready – together with police – and my boat was presumably swamped intentionally.”
Anthoulas dismissed crown prosecutor Danny Boyle’s declare that his boat had hull fractures, as a substitute pointing the finger at police.
The boat was refloated for nearly six hours of testing by water police who discovered Anthoulas’ vessel may have been “dangerously unstable”, Mr Boyle stated.
“Within the technique of the retrieval of my boat it’s fairly potential that’s when the injury occurred,” Anthoulas stated.
He grew to become emotional when he spoke in regards to the deadly marine incident.
Anthoulas’ vessel sank 50m off Murarrie because it queued up at a ship ramp getting back from a fishing journey.
He had been trying to take away a fishing web from the boat’s propeller when he heard the girl say “oh no”.
“I rotated and a wave had come over the again of the boat with some pressure,” Anthoulas stated.
Preventing again tears, Anthoulas described how he had been thrown from the boat earlier than attempting to save lots of the girl who was trapped beneath the ahead deck.
Anthoulas has pleaded not responsible to contravening the final security obligation of a ship proprietor, inflicting demise or grievous bodily hurt.
The trial continues.
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