The legal case of R v Pastor Pastor [2024] QCA 194 involved an appeal by Daniel Ricardo Pastor against his convictions for aiding in the importation of a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug and attempting to possess such a quantity. Originally, Pastor had been convicted by a jury, but he contended that his involvement was limited to moving stolen car parts from Melbourne, with no knowledge of the drugs. The Court of Appeal considered whether the evidence reasonably suggested Pastor's awareness of the drugs' presence. Importantly, Pastor had been implicated through intercepted communications and surveillance linking him with the storage and transportation of packages purportedly containing drugs. However, the Court found the initial verdicts unreasonable, largely due to the absence of compelling proof that Pastor knew the drugs were imported. Consequently, the appeal was allowed, the guilty verdicts on both counts were set aside, and a verdict of acquittal was entered on count 1, while a retrial was ordered for count 2, acknowledging a potential miscarriage of justice regarding available defenses not considered previously.
Full text: https://www.sclqld.org.au/caselaw/149749