WA man in court after allegedly trespassing into naval waters
Editor’s note: audio grabs, images and vision available via Hightail
The AFP has charged a man with allegedly breaching controlled waters around a Royal Australian Navy base in Western Australia.
The man, 48, is expected to face Perth Magistrates Court today (13 October, 2023) after he was arrested and charged yesterday for allegedly using a boat to twice enter controlled Naval Waters at HMAS Stirling, Garden Island, last month (September).
Acting on information from the Navy Security Force, the AFP, with the support of the Western Australia Police Force (WAPF) Water Police, yesterday executed a search warrant on a larger vessel where the man resides, which was moored off Mangles Bay, in Perth’s southern suburbs.
Authorities seized a dinghy allegedly used in the incidents.
The man has been charged with breaching controlled Naval Waters, contrary to regulation 14 of the Control of Naval Waters Regulations 2015 (Cth).
AFP Detective Sergeant Fleur Jennings said police would allege the man had repeatedly loitered in the protected area.
“The restricted waters are a 1km zone surrounding HMAS Stirling. The controlled Naval Waters are monitored by Navy and marked by buoys, which sound audible warnings from ashore if someone enters the area,” Detective Sergeant Jennings said.
“The AFP and Navy takes the breaching of this zone seriously and will act when offences are identified.
“Authorities monitor this area because of the national security risk and that’s why we will investigate any alleged deliberate attempts to enter these waters.”
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