Klomfar v R
[2019] NSWCCA 61
At a glance
Source factsCourt
Court of Criminal Appeal (NSW)
Decision date
2019-03-11
Before
Payne JA, Bellew J
Source
Original judgment source is linked above.
Judgment (16 paragraphs)
Judgment
- PAYNE JA: I agree with Bellew J.
- BELLEW J: On 19 June 2017, which was the day on which his trial was to commence, Petr Klomfar (the applicant) pleaded guilty in the District Court to the following offence: On or about 2 March 2016, at Sydney in the State of NSW, he did import a substance, the substance being a border controlled drug, namely cocaine, the quantity imported being a commercial quantity.
- The commercial quantity of cocaine is 2 kilograms. The quantity of pure cocaine imported by the applicant was 4.653 kilograms. The offence to which the applicant pleaded guilty is contrary to s 307.1(1) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth). It carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment and/or a fine not exceeding 7,500 penalty units, or both.
- On 18 May 2018 his Honour Judge Zahra SC sentenced the applicant to imprisonment for 7 years and 8 months commencing on 2 March 2016, with a non-parole period of 5 years.
- The applicant now seeks leave to appeal against that sentence on the grounds more fully discussed below.
THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE OFFENDING
- A statement of agreed facts was tendered before the sentencing judge, on the basis of which his Honour found the facts of the offending to be as follows: [1] On 15 December 2015, Czech passports were issued to the offender Peter Klomfar and Helena Dolejskova in the city of Ceske Budejovice, in southwestern Czechia. On 19 February 2016, airline tickets and a holiday package were purchased for the offender and Ms Dolejskova through a travel agent in the Czech Republic. The travel itinerary indicates that the offender travelled from Prague to Frankfurt on the 23 February. On that day they flew to Las Vegas where they stayed until the 29 February. They then flew to San Francisco where they then caught a flight to Sydney. They arrived in Sydney on the 2 March 2016. When they arrived in Sydney they were each carrying two suitcases. Both the offender and Ms Dolejskova completed their incoming passenger declaration cards stating they would be staying in Australia for 5 days. The offender and Ms Dolejskova collected their suitcases and presented them to the Australian Boarder (sic) Force for examination. When questioned by officers they confirmed the four suitcases belonged to them; that they packed the suitcases themselves and that they knew what was in the suitcases. An examination of one of the suitcases by Australian Boarder (sic) Force officers revealed a plastic covering at the back of the suitcase. The suitcase appeared to officers to be heavier that a normal suitcase of that brand. Further examination of the suitcase revealed the presence of brick-shaped packages concealed under the lining, beneath plastic sheets between the frame extensions of the trolley arm. The packages were covered in plastic wrap covered in a tar-like glue substance. The packages contained a white coloured powder which when presumptively tested indicated the presence of cocaine. The offender was in possession of a folder containing various travel documents and a wallet containing AUD $I,000. Included in the offender's folder was a photocopy of an Australian incoming passenger card in the Czech language, with some handwriting on it in the nature of instructions as to how it should be filled out. When the Australian Federal Police later examined the offender's suitcases it was revealed that one suitcase was empty (but for the concealed cocaine) and the other contained a minimal amount of clothing and personal items. The offender and Ms Dolejskova were then arrested by Australian Federal Police and when in custody the offender engaged in a recorded interview with police. The following is an extract of the statement of facts setting out admissions made by the offender: • The offender and Ms Dolejskova travelled from Europe to Las Vegas, collected suitcases and travelled to Sydney, Australia; • They stayed in Las Vegas for four days and planned to stay in Sydney for four days before departing Sydney, leaving the suitcases behind; • This trip was paid for by a third party; • The offender knew a female who had done this before, the offender was assisted by the female's ex-husband to arrange the trip, which included applying for passports in December 2015; • Contact numbers of other individuals involved are stored in the offender's phone; and • The offender and Ms Dolejskova were told that they would be paid roughly AUD6,000 each once they home from Sydney. The offender was subsequently charged. Ms Dolejskova was also subsequently arrested and charged. Forensic examination of the suitcases Upon forensic examination each of the suitcases was found to contain blocks of cocaine concealed in the same fashion as the first-inspected suitcase. A total of 28 blocks of cocaine were removed from the four suitcases. Forensic examination of the four suitcases revealed (as extracted from the statement of facts): • The two suitcases carried by the offender contained a net weight of 6977.7grams of powder containing cocaine hidden within the lining. Purity testing revealed the pure weight to be 4653.0 grams • The two suitcases carried by Ms Dolejskova contained a net weight of 7017.7grams of powder containing cocaine hidden within the lining. Purity testing revealed the pure weight to be 4701.5 grams. • The total net weight of the powder containing cocaine within the four suitcases carried by the offender and Ms Dolejskova was 13,995.4 grams. The estimated wholesale value of the cocaine seized from the offender was between $1,395,540 and $1,535,094. The estimated wholesale value of the cocaine seized from Ms Dolejskova was between $1,403,540 and $1,543,894. Information provided to the Australian Federal Police: The statement of facts notes that on 16 August 2016 the offender provided the following information to the Australian Federal Police. The following is an extract of the statement of facts: • A person named (SP) had conversations with the offender on many occasions about taking suitcases to Australia, but he did not say what was in the cases and the offender did not ask. The offender and Ms Dolejskova were told that the trip would be paid for, including the hotels, and that he would receive money upon his return. • He had met up with SP in the village off Kostelec in the Czech Republic. • Ms Dolejskova was present and the offender was in a relationship with her at the time. • Another couple was arranging the trip and they knew SP. • The offender was told that the woman in the couple had done the trip before and there were no problems. • The woman of the couple said they would fly to Las Vegas, pick up suitcases and take them to Sydney. She said that only one person in the Czech Republic would really know what was in the suitcases but that it would be nothing dangerous or illegal. She said it would be something like 'chips'. The offender and Ms Dolejskova were told that if the chips were found then they may lose some of the money. • The couple gave the offender and Ms Dolejskova suitcases, Australian money and US money. They gave them an itinerary and a phone with one mobile phone number for a Vietnamese man in Las Vegas. • When they arrived in Las Vegas they contacted the Vietnamese man 'Tom'. They exchanged suitcases with him. The exchange was based on recognition of serial numbers on a bank note. They were told someone would collect the suitcases from them in Australia. Mobile Telephones The offender and Ms Dolejskova each had in their possession a personal mobile telephone with them. They also each had a second mobile telephone that contained one saved "contact". The second of the two phones had communicated only with that one "contact" and only during the period of travel. The statement of facts note the communications concerned updating the "contact" on how their travel was progressing.