Face of Nation : The girlfriend of John Ibrahim has suggested he or one of his associates hid a pistol and ammunition in her bedroom wardrobe days before police found them, a Sydney jury has been told.
Sarah Budge, 29, has pleaded not guilty to three weapons possession charges after police found a defaced Glock 26 pistol and a magazine of bullets inside a small black box tucked in the corner of her wardrobe at her Double Bay unit in August 2017.
The jury would hear evidence about how the gun and magazine were concealed from sight “in the bottom of her messy wardrobe in her messy bedroom” and how “Mr Ibrahim or someone he knew could have entered her unit when she was not there”, Simon Buchen SC told the jurors. “The evidence will prove Ms Budge, a person of good character and who has never committed a crime, had no idea the gun or magazine had been packed in her wardrobe,” he said.
“It is the defence case that Mr Ibrahim or someone he knew placed the gun in the accused’s bedroom in the bottom of her wardrobe in the day or days before the police found it there, and it is the defence case that this was done without her knowledge.”
He said it was his understanding Mr Ibrahim was never charged over the “serious crimes” federal police were investigating when they searched his home and Ms Budge’s unit as part of an operation dubbed Veyda.
Police had decided to raid Ms Budge’s unit, believing it contained her boyfriend’s laptop, which could contain evidence, Mr Buchen said. But they – and Ms Budge – weren’t expecting to find a gun, he said.
The court heard Ms Budge was working as a model and bar manager and was sleeping at Mr Ibrahim’s home on the morning of the searches. Mr Buchen said some jurors may have heard Mr Ibrahim’s name before but it would be unfair to judge Ms Budge on his reputation.
Crown prosecutor Christopher Taylor said he expected the jury would hear evidence that the magazine was found inside a paper “chemist’s bag” inside the black box.
Seven of Ms Budge’s fingerprints were found on the paper bag while one fingerprint matched a man called Michael Amante, Mr Taylor said. Mr Amante had given a statement to police in which he couldn’t explain how his print ended up on the bag, Mr Taylor said.
