It took 19 months for the final accomplice involved in a horrific break-in resulting in the theft of half-a-million dollars worth of rare opals to be caught - despite him working directly opposite the scene of the crime in the months after.
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And now Berkeley tradie David Robert Kominkovski has learnt his fate at Wollongong District Court, after he pleaded guilty in May to specially aggravated break, enter and commit a serious indictable offence.
On Friday, Kominkovski was sentenced to four years and 10 months jail with a non-parole period of two years and five months, sparking an emotional response from supporters in the court room who wiped away tears.
The break-in
Tendered court documents revealed Kominkovski and three other men arrived at a Princes Highway, Albion Park Rail home in the early hours of February 10, 2021.
The masked quartet forced their way into the home, held a man and woman up at gunpoint and stole more than 1000 opals in a swift two-minute operation. One man stomped on the woman and kicked the family dog.
Their arrival and departure was caught on CCTV footage.
The owner said the collection included opal roughs, opal rubs, fossils and polished stones, the most valuable of which were worth between $5,000 and $10,000 - with the total collection worth about $500,000.
Judge Andrew Haesler accepted there was not enough evidence to suggest Kominkovski was carrying any weapons or that he was the one who assaulted the occupants.
Phone taps
The robbers eventually came undone after detectives began tapping their phone calls, in which they were heard discussing the sale of the gems.
In March 2021, police started tapping Kominkovski's mobile phone, uncovering a text message from an associate reading, "I need to ask you about a stone you gave J. How much did you get for it? Do you remember Dave?"
Meanwhile, police seized 90 of the rare gems when they were en route to co-offender's homes via Australia Post.
Kominkovski was heard in a call mentioning cards he received from robbery squad detectives, speculating that he'd been "ratted out" by his co-offenders.
He told the co-offender to keep his lips sealed and said he "didn't even get one opal" from the incident. The court heard he received no profits and he was not involved in the sale of any opals.
Kominkovski also also heard mentioning he worked at a site directly across the road from where the crime was committed. He was arrested on September 24 last year and was bailed to attend rehab in May.
Judge Haesler said the break-in, which had "military precision", was so serious it required significant punishment.
However he accepted Kominkovski was not a person involved in regular, serious crimes and that he was driven by his own addiction.
"His addiction explains why an otherwise law-abiding citizen did what he did," Judge Haesler said.
Judge Haesler added Kominkocski was role model to others during his stint at rehab.
Character references from Kominkovski's family members and his employer described him as a "devoted father" and a "man of integrity". He wrote to the court himself, apologising to the victims.
With time spent in custody and rehab taken into account, Kominkovski will be eligible for release in August 2025.
Read more Illawarra court and crime stories here.
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Grace Crivellaro
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
