A man allegedly stalked a police officer and told him he had enlisted the help of the Russian Special Forces to kill him after a liquor licence was refused at his family’s Daylesford cafe, a court heard.
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Perry Kalofolias, 44, appeared at the Ballarat Magistrates Court for a contest mention hearing on Wednesday. He faced a string of charges including trafficking methamphetamine, making threats to kill, stalking and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence.
Detective Senior Constable John Hageman told the court he believed Kalofolias’s behaviour was sparked by police refusing to grant him permit a permit to serve alcohol at his cafe in Daylesford on May 6. The police informant said after the permit was refused, Kalofolias became fixated on Daylesford police officer Sergeant Barry Hills. He told the court Kalofolias approached Sergeant Hills on the main street of Daylesford on May 27. The court heard Kalofolias followed Sergeant Hills as he walked down the street and yelled obscenities at him before he told him “you’re going to die” and “the Russians are going to get you.”
Police alleged Kalofolias also told a witness who contacted police he planned on using his contacts in the Russian Special Forces to kill Sergeant Hills.
Detective Senior Constable Hageman said Kalofolias also harassed Sergeant Hills as he was undertaking police duties in Daylesford and in another incident, he waited for him out the front of the police station.
He also told the court Kalofolias met with two undercover police officers on May 19 and took money off them under the pretext of purchasing them methamphetamine but Kalofolias never purchased the drugs for the officers and refused to return the money.
The court heard Kalofolias was to addicted to crystal methamphetamine and may have been under the influence of drugs during the alleged offending. Ballarat magistrate Andrew Capell said the alleged offences lead him to believe Kalofolias may have been “mentally deranged” at the time.
Kalofolias’s defence barrister Hayden Rattray said the threats were “fanciful” and caused by anger due to the acrimonious relationship between Kalofolias and Sergeant Hills. “There is no evidence other than the angry utterances by him (Kalofolias) that he has any links whatsoever to the Russian Special Forces,” he said. He was remanded in custody to reappear on July 12.
