A South Coast cattle farmer who stands accused of burning his own house down to pocket $600,000 in bushfire payments has revealed the cost of his losses, claiming he lost $18,000 worth in tools.
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Judge Christopher O'Brien is considering the case of Darren Mark Colquhoun, who summoned firefighters to his Yalwall Road, Barrangella property with a 5.27am triple-0 call on January 5, 2020.
The trial continued on Monday.
Police allege Colquhoun lit a fire at his property and let it burn for a significant amount of time before alerting emergency services.
Crews arrived at 5.43am to see Colquhoun training a garden hose on the well-alight house, with little effect, Shoalhaven Fire Station commander Ian Walters told Wollongong District Court earlier in the trial.
Colquhoun faces a range of charges including six counts of dishonestly gaining financial advantage by deception and one count of damaging property by fire for financial gain.
He was allegedly paid $376,000 by the NRMA, $60,000 from the Australian Red Cross, $75,000 from the Rural Assistance Authority, $11,500 from the Salvation Army, $60,000 from Service NSW and $3000 from St Vincent de Paul.
Colquhoun told detectives in a police interview following his arrest that he spent $15,000 from a charity grant to replace the damaged electric fence around his property.
"Unfortunately you guys (the police) took our money, and we've had to work out what we're doing with the money we've got," he said, adding that he spent $8200 on new electrical manes, $4000 on a new fence energiser, and $40,000 for a new "place out the back".
Colquhoun also told detectives he lost $18,000 worth in "tools of trade" however his memory was lost as to what those tools were.
"We had several tools that would have been lost in the garage," Colquhoun said.
"I just don't recall what they were."
The court previously heard from multiple witnesses who claimed the area surrounding Colquhoun's farm had earlier been blacked out with a hazard reduction burn, and that there was no bushfire activity near the property the morning of the blaze.
The judge-alone trial continues this week.
Read the latest Illawarra court and crime stories here.
Grace Crivellaro
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
