A Newnham man listened to a two-minute conversation at the Launceston Police Station via a tracking device that he had initially installed on his ex-partner's car, the Launceston Magistrates Court heard.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
George Maxwell Tregaskis-Jago, 28, pleaded not guilty to a count of using a listening device to listen to a private conversation on August 24, 2020.
The court heard that Mr Tregaskis-Jago installed listening devices on two cars and a boat in a bid to reduce insurance premiums.
He said that if a car was stolen he could hear a ping from its location.
One of the tracking devices was installed on the car his partner drove, but he had forgotten to tell her.
When his ex-partner took the device to the police station, Mr Tregaskis-Jago was able to activate the device via a text message and listen to a conversation.
Activation was possible via a sim card after the device was removed from the car. The tracker could allow listening, but not recording, he said.
In a recorded video interview with police, which was played to the court, Mr Tregaskis-Jago said he had listened to two minutes of "general people talking". He denied that he had heard his ex-partner talking.
However, when he gave evidence in court on Monday, Mr Tregaskis-Jago denied that he had listened to any conversation at the police station.
Mr Hills suggested he had listened to try and get any details of any upcoming legal matters.
Defence counsel Evan Hughes asked Mr Tregaskis-Jago: "Did you ring the tracker [to activate] on August 24 2020."
"No I did not," he replied.
"Why did you tell police you heard voices for about two minutes?" Mr Hughes asked.
"I have no idea," Mr Tregaskis-Jago said.
Magistrate Simon Brown adjourned the case for decision on February 7 at 2.15pm.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark www.examiner.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter: @examineronline
- Follow us on Instagram: @examineronline
- Follow us on Google News: The Examiner
.