Rex Martinich
The case against a Brazilian man accused of being part of an international syndicate stealing five four-wheelers a day is circumstantial, a judge has heard.
Rodrigo Kanae Sato is alleged to be part of a group of foreign nationals who flew to Queensland in October to break into special models of Toyota vehicles, including LandCruisers and Prados.
The 45-year-old applied for bail in Brisbane’s Supreme Court on Monday after spending more than seven months in custody.
Police claim the gang stole 60 cars across Brisbane during a 12-day spree.
The syndicate is supposed to send the cars to the United Arab Emirates in shipping containers.
About a quarter of the allegedly stolen vehicles were recovered, police said in January.
Sato was arrested after police spotted two allegedly stolen LandCruisers entering a wrecking yard south of Brisbane, Justice Lincoln Crowley heard.
Crowley said he was concerned by the large number of serious and sophisticated offenses being alleged.
“The organization (allegedly) used a third-party device to access the car’s control system to unlock and start cars without a key,” he said.
“Access was gained to the network port by drilling a small hole in the (vehicle).”
Sato was allegedly linked to the group because of text messages on a phone found hidden in a toilet in a shared residence, defense attorney Suki Bloom said.
“The case is largely circumstantial,” he said.
Bloom said Sato will wear an electronic tracking device to prevent him from escaping overseas.
Senior prosecutor Joana Dias said she opposed bail as Sato presented an unacceptable flight risk.
“There is no good relationship with Australia, and his family is in Brazil,” he said.
Police found WhatsApp messages that were written in Portuguese, which is Sato’s native language, and described the locations of the stolen cars, Crowley heard.
“He came to Australia, apparently on a visitor’s visa for a very short period of time and these offenses were committed shortly after,” Dias said.
Crowley said Sato’s proposed bail conditions had reduced the risk to an acceptable level.
Sato was granted bail but ordered to remain in custody until he finds a suitable place to live.
AAP
