Cairns court: Petko Petkov pleads not guilty over charges arising from incident at Ellie Point

A man who lived at a beach camp in Cairns has denied dressing up in a bizarre outfit and attempting to set fire to a boat with the owner aboard, court has heard.

The man accused of throwing multiple buckets of petrol over a boat before trying to set it on fire has denied being anywhere near the scene on the morning in question, Cairns District Court has heard.

Petko Petkov, 70, pleaded not guilty to intent to do grievous bodily harm, unlawfully throw explosive substance.

Petko 'Peter' Petkov has pleaded not guilty in Cairns District Court to charges relating to allegedly throwing three buckets on petrol on a boat and set it alight while the owner was asleep on-board. Picure: Bronwyn Farr

Police allege at 5.30am on January 7, 2022, Mr Petkov, wearing a bizarre disguise, including a witches hat, purple and grey shaggy wig, black plastic garbage bag and white gumboots, threw petrol on the boat owned by Maurice Costanzo, who was in the cabin sleeping.

Mr Petkov had a ramshackle camp at Ellie Point, part of the green space zone of Cairns Airport, where thick mangroves open onto a sandy stretch of beach.

Itinerant squatters camping illegally on beachfront land on Trinity Bay on land owned by Cairns Airport. were moved on following the alleged petrol-throwing incident. Picture: Brendan Radke

Giving evidence on the first day of the trial, Mr Costanzo, who moored his boat permanently at the spot, said he feared for his life.

He told the court he recognised Mr Petkov as he walked away because he had a distinct limp.

Mr Costanzo said he saw Mr Petkov washing out black buckets further up the beach.

But Mr Petkov said in a police interview he was nowhere near the boat and was sitting down a track at what he called “the chair tree”.

“I was not there this morning, I was not there at all … what can I say, must be some different man,” he told police.

“If you say I threw petrol and buckets I think that’s a lie.”

He said he found the scary masks as rubbish washed up on the beach.

Petko Petkov’s camp was about 200m from where Maurice Costanzo moored his boat and the pair had a falling out, Cairns District Court has heard. Picture: Brendan Radke

Senior Constable Karl Messer said the site was only accessible by boat with no track inland.

Mr Petkov’s barrister Kelly Goodwin challenged that, showing the jury a map with a faint line heading from Ellie Point north east to a clearing, and a slightly more obvious track Mr Goodwin said joined up with Airport Ave.

He said Mr Petkov had walked up that track and was at “the chair tree”.

Mr Goodwin questioned whether police had shown Mr Costanzo the two masks and Snr Const Messer said they had not.

He said police had not investigated whether there was a track and agreed with Mr Goodwin there was no forensic evidence to prove Mr Petkov had ever touched the three buckets produced in court as evidence.

The trial before Judge Joshua Trevino continues.

Originally published as Cairns court: Petko Petkov pleads not guilty over charges arising from incident at Ellie Point