A 71-year-old man who allegedly stole hundreds of head of cattle and profited off their offspring over a number of years may have his case heard in the Northern Territory Supreme Court.
Nicolas Kostowski is facing theft and deception charges after he was arrested in April, following a 10-month police investigation by Taskforce Starlight — a special stock squad established last year in the wake of a rise in livestock theft.
Police allege Mr Kostowski stole about 435 cattle from a property on the Sturt Plateau, south of Katherine.
However, after detectives last year in June executed a search warrant on the man's property to recover alleged evidence of cattle sales, and to compare the DNA of the calves on the station, police alleged the theft was much larger.
'Third generation offspring' allegedly found on property
According to police, DNA evidence confirmed 658 cattle on the station had parental linkages to the original 435 allegedly stolen cattle.
It was uncovered that a number of the calves were believed to be third generation offspring, police said.
In a landmark investigation, Northern Territory police are alleging that with the offspring, the man stole about 1,200 head of cattle, valued at nearly $1.5 million.
In April, Detective Senior Sergeant Paul Lawson said the cattle were likely stolen over a number of years.
"I believe the industry call it 'sweating calves' — where calves from [neighbouring] properties are branded with their own brand and they may return the cows but keep the calves for themselves," he said.
First court appearance since arrest
At a brief hearing in the Katherine Local Court today, Mr Kostowski made his first appearance before a judge, with family members sitting in the gallery.
Mr Kostowski's lawyer, Ray Murphy, told the court his client would not need to attend court for a preliminary examination hearing – scheduled for July 25 – where it will be decided whether the case will be taken to the Supreme Court.
Outside the court, Mr Kostowski was questioned over whether he would be pleading not guilty.
"What would you do?" he replied.
