Christos Panagakos, charged with manslaughter breached bail after walking down street to fix car
A landscaper charged with manslaughter broke his bail curfew condition by walking down the street to talk to his mates about his broken down car.
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A LANDSCAPER charged with manslaughter broke his bail curfew condition by walking down the street to talk to his alleged bikie mates about his broken down car.
Christos Panagakos pleaded guilty in the Southport Magistrates Court on Thursday to breach bail.
The 29-year-old was granted bail in February this year after being accused of the manslaughter of Ivona Jovanovic at his mother’s Highland Park home.
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Ms Jovanovic was fatally shot in the stomach on September 8, 2019.
Panagakos was charged with manslaughter in January this year.
The court was told on Thursday that the bail conditions prohibited Panagakos from leaving his Highland Park home between 7pm and 6am.
Police were conducting patrols in the area when they spotted Panagakos and three men with links to outlaw motorcycle gangs at a car on Explorers Way about 9.45pm on Wednesday, the court was told.
Panagakos is alleged to have links to the Mongols and Finks, according to court documents.
Defence lawyer Michael Gatenby, of Gatenby Criminal Lawyers, said Panagakos was just a street over from his home.
He said Panagakos had been home but left to help get the car started.
“It was my client’s vehicle and it had broken down and they were trying to get it to go again,” he said.
“This isn’t him engaging in outrageous behaviour … it is a man with a broken down car on the side of the road.”
Mr Gatenby said the car had run out of oil.
When asked if Panagakos, a landscaper, was a mechanic, Mr Gatenby replied: “I think my client is too pretty to fix cars … just gardens.”
Magistrate Pamela Dowse fined Panagakos $500.
“Don’t leave home,” she told him.
“It’s really important you follow your bail. If you don’t follow bail there is only one other option and you remain in custody.”
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