Naked mangrove fugitive pleads guilty after New Year’s Eve flit

NAKED mangrove fugitive Luke Voskerensky has finally pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and breaching bail after fleeing authorities and hiding out for four days in croc infested waters

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NAKED mangrove fugitive Luke Voskerensky has finally pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and breaching bail after fleeing authorities and hiding out for four days in croc infested waters behind the Darwin Turf Club.

The Darwin Local Court heard Voskerensky was on bail for assaulting his girlfriend when he removed his electronic monitoring device and took refuge in the mangroves on New Year’s Eve last year.

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In arguing for Voskerensky to be sentenced to time served, his lawyer John Adams said his client had suffered “extra curial punishment, as it were, for breaching his bail” during his “uncomfortable” stay in the mangroves.

But judge Greg Macdonald queried whether “self inflicted extra curial punishment through stupidity” could be taken into account in sentencing.

Two fishermen checking mud crab pots came across a naked Luke Voskerensky behind East Point on January 3. Picture: Cam Faust

“I do accept that four days in the mangroves being chewed on by sandflies would have been particularly uncomfortable,” he said.

Prosecutor Simon Lipert said Voskerensky had bought a plane ticket to Cairns the day before he fled into the mangroves and argued he should not receive any benefit for doing so.

“He fled to the mangroves hoping to evade custody, evade police, in order to catch this flight to Cairns and who knows where he was going from there?” he said.

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“Had he not been stuck in the mangroves he could well be in Cairns or elsewhere by now.

“Clearly this is a matter where Mr Voskerensky does need further time (in custody) to reflect.”

Mr Macdonald ordered Voskerensky be assessed for a suspended sentence and he will return to court on Friday.

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