Owen Van Duren charged over stolen piglets from Yarralumla petting zoo
Owen Van Duren, a “dangerous” international fugitive, is the mastermind behind the theft of four piglets from a Canberra petting zoo, police allege.
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An international fugitive who could pose a serious danger to the public has been released on bail after being charged with the possession of four piglets taken from a children’s petting zoo in Canberra.
Owen Van Duren, 39, appeared in the ACT Magistrates Court on Thursday charged with a single count of possessing stolen property.
Court documents reveal the pigs went missing from a petting zoo at Yarralumla last Thursday.
Police and RSPCA officers went to a house in nearby Deakin on Wednesday, concerned for the welfare of animals in the back yard.
They seized the piglets, which staff at the petting zoo later identified as the ones that were stolen.
Court documents detail his escape from a Thai prison and subsequent theft of a catamaran while on bail, which he and his former special forces and French Foreign Legion soldier brother, Shane Van Duren, sailed back to Darwin.
Shane Van Duren — who is not accused of any criminal wrongdoing related to the alleged piglet heist or the yacht theft — is also former parliamentary candidate for Fraser Anning’s Conservative National Party.
The catamaran saga earned Owen Van Duren a conviction for unlawful use of a vessel.
He is also wanted in the Northern Territory on allegations relating to stolen cars, according to court documents.
The court heard police are expected to lay further charges related to the discovery of “a large amount” of high-powered explosives, a hydroponic cannabis crop and an arsenal of guns, some of which are suspected to have been stolen.
Magistrate Margaret Hunter was on Thursday about to refuse Owen Van Duren bail.
“It’s too dangerous, I’m sorry … I have to consider the safety of the community,” she said.
But because Van Duren had only been charged with possessing the piglets, he was entitled to bail.
“Maybe we need to amend the bail act,” Ms Hunter said.
According to court documents, police strongly suspect Owen Van Duren was involved in the theft of the animals from the petting zoo.
Police say they hold grave concerns for the animals still missing from the alleged heist: two frizzle chickens, a rooster and three turkeys.
Owen Van Duren also has strong links to Thailand, where his partner is from.
Speaking to police, she described Owen Van Duren as her “baby daddy” according to police documents.
Ms Hunter banned him from approaching an international airport or sea port, and ordered he surrender his passport, among a string of other strict bail conditions.
