Two men accused of kidnapping and killing innocent grandfather Chris Baghsarian have appeared in court on murder charges, one day after their dramatic arrest in Sydney’s north-west.
The body of Baghsarian, 85, was found dumped near a golf course in Pitt Town on Tuesday, almost two weeks after he was abducted from his home in North Ryde.
The grandfather and widower had dementia and, police allege, was kidnapped by Gerard Andrews, 29, and Daniel Stevens, 24, in a case of mistaken identity.
Andrews and Stevens were arrested at their parents’ homes in Kenthurst and Castle Hill by heavily armed police on Wednesday morning and charged with Baghsarian’s alleged kidnapping – a charge of taking or detaining in company with intent to ransom, causing actual bodily harm – and murder.
Andrews, followed by Stevens, fronted the Blacktown Local Court on Thursday morning. Neither of the accused applied for release on bail.
Stevens had initially requested his lawyer, Javid Faiz, to push for release, but he resiled after considering the “seriousness of the charges”.
“It’s a tragic incident; there’s no doubt this would have had an effect on the community,” Faiz told reporters outside the courthouse on Thursday.
“He understands the seriousness of it, he understands the nature and gravity of the allegations.”
His client had only spoken briefly in court, via video link from a police cell, where he requested generic antiviral medicine for a case of shingles.
The solicitor for Andrews, Paul McGirr, told reporters his client was not the mastermind.
“Certainly, from what I can gather, my client was no mastermind in respect to his involvement in this particular matter,” McGirr said.
“It’s not lost on me, the sensitive nature of this particular matter for the victim’s family – but I have a job to do and it’s very hard for me to do that job having read the fact sheet.”
Baghsarian was taken hostage about 5am on February 13, when up to three men abducted him from his North Ryde home in a suspected case of mistaken identity.
Baghsarian, a grandfather and widower born in Jerusalem, lived alone, and police have repeatedly said he and his family have no links to organised crime.
Detectives believe the kidnappers were looking for the father of Sydney businessman Dimitri Stepanyan, a convicted armed robber and founder of clothing brand Proper Streetwear, but mistakenly grabbed Baghsarian, who lived on the same street.
The accused killers will front court again on April 17.
Meanwhile, police have swooped on a second, unrelated kidnapping of a man in the same suburb where Baghsarian was allegedly held captive.
A 53-year-old man was allegedly taken from outside a tobacconist on Meadows Road, Mt Pritchard, on Tuesday by four men in balaclavas. The man was allegedly assaulted and then forced into a Hyundai hatchback.
On Thursday morning, following a covert operation, police and tactical officers swarmed a property in Dural, recovering the 53-year-old, who was taken to hospital in a stable condition.
A 16-year-old boy was arrested at the property and has been taken to Castle Hill Police Station, where inquiries are ongoing.
The event does not appear to be related to the kidnapping of Baghsarian.
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