Controversial Mt Stuart developer who knocked down heritage home guilty of further three charges
Darko Krajinovic, the controversial developer who illegally knocked down his 1800s Mt Stuart home to make way for million-dollar townhouses, has been found guilty of further charges. LATEST FROM COURT >>
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- Battle over eyesore heritage home demolition at Mt Stuart continues in court
- Townhouses to soon emerge at Mt Stuart illegally-razed eyesore site
- Demolition man Darko Krajinovic cops six-figure fine for knocking down heritage-listed home at 55 Mt Stuart Rd
A CONTROVERSIAL developer who illegally demolished his heritage home atop Mount Stuart has been found guilty of a further three criminal charges.
On Tuesday, Darko Krajinovic was found guilty in the Hobart Magistrates Court of three offences related to removal of stone footings at the site, which seemingly “disappeared” after October 2018.
The illegal removal came in the wake of Krajinovic’s initial February 2017 destruction of the site, which he carried out with an excavator to the chagrin of neighbours who raised concerns about his alleged exposure of live powerlines, disturbing of asbestos and removal of two heritage-listed trees in the process.
Magistrate Jackie Hartnett published the reasons for her decision on Tuesday to parties only, but announced she’d found three charges out of five proven.
Those charges related to the failure to ensure demolition complied with building legislation, failing to engage a building surveyor for demolition work, and performing notifiable demolition work.
In a hearing in February, Krajinovic denied removing the footings at 55 Mount Stuart Road, and that if he did, he had done so unknowingly.
At the hearing, prosecutor Tom Cox had argued that no-one else would have had interest in the footings, and that Krajinovic’s motivation was financial.
Krajinovic was previously convicted and fined $225,000 after pleading guilty to nine charges related to the home’s demotion in February 2017.
He then lost a Supreme Court appeal when he argued the fine was manifestly excessive.
However in May 2019, Krajinovic was granted council permission to go ahead with development of four $1.2 million townhouses at the site.
The Mount Stuart site was a well-known eyesore after Krajinovic pulverised the 1885 house without a planning permit, and vandals left the site defaced and graffitied with shattered windows.
Krajinovic will return to court on May 24 for facts and sentence.
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