A one-time international fugitive says stolen piglets, an armoury and cannabis plants found in a suburban Canberra backyard must belong to someone other than him.
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Owen William Van Duren fronted the ACT Magistrates Court on Monday.
The 39-year-old was initially only charged with possessing the piglets - stolen earlier from Yarralumla Play Station - but after he was granted bail earlier this month, he was re-arrested and charged with nearly a dozen new offences.
On Monday, his solicitor Travis McGeachy said the 39-year-old was not guilty of all of the charges that stemmed from a police search of a Deakin residence on September 2.
The charges include possessing prohibited firearms, receiving stolen property, and cultivating more than four cannabis plants.
Police said they found the piglets in the backyard of the residence, along with the cannabis plants, and an armoury of high-powered explosives, fireworks, and bomb-making material in a shipping container.
They said they also "seized four bolt-action unregistered firearms, sniper scopes, three cross bows with arrows, night vision equipment and homemade firearm suppressors".
"The defendant's brother, who is a possible co-offender, was a member of the Australian Army and foreign military forces," a police bail consideration form said.
"Due to this, the defendant and his brother have the capability to use such prohibited items in a skilled manner for deadly force."
On Monday, Mr McGeachy said the items didn't belong to his client. He said Mr Van Duren didn't live at the Deakin house despite police assertions, but there were a number of other people who did - one, a veteran who had lived in the shipping container and was arrested there.
"There are a number of other possible individuals who may have been in possession," Mr McGeachy said.
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He said police had relied on a so-called admission by Mr Van Duren's wife that he lived at the Deakin house, but she didn't have a interpreter when she said so. When she got access to one, she retracted that statement, Mr McGeachy said.
Earlier this month, the court heard Mr Van Duren claimed to live in Narrabundah at an address described as a "halfway house" by prosecutor Michael Gemmell.
In applying for Mr Van Duren to be granted bail on Monday, Mr McGeachy said the 39-year-old would continue to live there. But Magistrate Peter Morrison said the presence of weapons at the Deakin address was effectively "unexplained", and prosecutors were right to be concerned.
He noted Mr Van Duren appeared to have "significant" ties to Thailand. The police bail consideration form said Mr Van Duren had escaped from custody there and, after he was re-arrested and eventually released, stole a power vessel with his brother Shane Van Duren and sailed it to Australia in 2018.
"Far and away the most serious matter ... is the allegations of what was found [in the shipping container]," Mr Morrison said.
"It is evident that a term of imprisonment will be imposed if the allegations are made out."
Mr Morrison refused Mr Van Duren bail, to appear in court again on September 29.
Mr Van Duren was also charged with three counts of contravening a family violence order, but did not enter pleas to those charges.
Cassandra Morgan
It has never been more important for Canberrans to be able to access reliable and accurate information about health. As The Canberra Times’ health reporter, I am committed to ensuring our readers have access to this. I, like many in the territory, have family members who work in the sector. Although providing comprehensive coverage on the coronavirus pandemic is obviously my number one priority, I aim to frequently shed light on the fantastic work our frontline professionals do, as well as the challenges they face. Email me tips and story ideas at: c.morgan@canberratimes.com.au.
It has never been more important for Canberrans to be able to access reliable and accurate information about health. As The Canberra Times’ health reporter, I am committed to ensuring our readers have access to this. I, like many in the territory, have family members who work in the sector. Although providing comprehensive coverage on the coronavirus pandemic is obviously my number one priority, I aim to frequently shed light on the fantastic work our frontline professionals do, as well as the challenges they face. Email me tips and story ideas at: c.morgan@canberratimes.com.au.
