Why would Ibrahim hide gun among high heels, court asked
JOHN Ibrahim would never stash a gun in the "prime high heel shoe territory" of his model girlfriend's wardrobe if he wanted it to be kept hidden, Sydney prosecutors say.
Sarah Budge blames the Kings Cross identity or someone close to him for planting a loaded Glock pistol at her Double Bay apartment without her knowledge in 2017, which the Crown says is "an affront to common sense".
Known for flashing striking looks for fashion photographers in her day job, Budge's usual steely demeanour turned to a laugh when her umbrella flew up in wild weather as she arrived at her Downing Centre District Court gun possession trial on Wednesday.
The prosecution says a "fundamental flaw" in the glamorous restaurant owner's defence case is that Mr Ibrahim or his associate chose to hide a stolen weapon exactly where the risk of his partner finding it was extremely high.
Why not bury it four feet deep in a national park, or at least put it somewhere less conspicuous within Budge's flat, prosecutor Chris Taylor asked the jury.
The 51-year-old could have jammed it under the kitchen sink, concealed it at the back of the fridge or taped it to the toilet cistern, the court heard.
"Oh no, but I've got a better idea. Why don't I just put it in a really obvious spot in the bottom of the wardrobe?" Mr Taylor said in his closing address.
"You may as well have just thrown it over a cliff in the first place."
Police found the gun and bullets inside a box in Budge's wardrobe on August 8, 2017 during dawn raids connected with a suspected international drug smuggling ring.
The idea that Budge had left an empty box at the front of her closet where many other shoeboxes competed for space was also an "unrealistic or fanciful possibility", Mr Taylor said.
"It's an attempt to simply pull the wool over your eyes," he told the jury.
"She very well knew these items were in her wardrobe … common sense screams at you, doesn't it?"
Mr Taylor questioned the 29-year-old about how many pairs of shoes were in her bedroom closet when police searched her unit.
"Roughly 20," she answered with a giggle.
But Budge soon started crying after Mr Taylor suggested she kept the gun for protection amid safety concerns around the release of Mr Ibrahim's best-selling book, which names convicted killers and alleged questionable characters from the city's criminal underworld.
"That's why it was in a special, high real estate territory of your wardrobe … it was your prized possession to have, wasn't it?" Mr Taylor asked.
"No," she said on Tuesday.
"I had no idea any firearm was in my place."
The trial before Judge David Arnott continues.
