A high-end fashion designer has pleaded guilty after being caught placing a tracking device on a woman’s car.
The co-founder and designer of defunct clothing brand Satch, Jim Sachinidis, faced Melbourne Magistrates’ Court via video-link charged with stalking on Thursday.
The court heard the 53-year-old had used a stolen fob key to enter a woman’s garage in Elwood before he rummaged and ‘tampered’ with her car.
Sachinidis spent about 15 minutes underneath the vehicle, during which time he is believed to have attached a tracking device.
He was arrested on May 2 and denied the allegation, arguing ‘that’s not me’ when police confronted him with CCTV footage.
‘Lots of people have beards,’ he told police, the Herald Sun reports.
The court heard Sachinidis’ offending had been escalating since 2022 after a business collapse led to drug use.
At the time of the stalking charge, Sachinidis was said to have been homeless and using methamphetamines.
Co-founder of defunct clothing brand Satch, Jim Sachinidis (pictured), has pleaded guilty to stalking a woman after placing a tracking device under her car
He will be assessed for a community correction order and return to court on Friday for sentencing, having already spent 54 days in custody.
Sachinidis had previously been described as an ‘incredibly successful’ and ‘high-flying’ businessman after co-founding unisex clothing brand Satch in 1996.
The company had grown to operate out of 14 boutique stores in major cities across Australia and was turning over about $10million a year.
Satch hit a slump in 2009 when sales plummeted by more than 35 per cent. By 2011 the business was placed into liquidation owing more than $7.4million.
Stephen Dixon of BDO Partners said at the time that Satch’s predicament occurred because of falling sales, high costs, wrong inventory and poor book-keeping in a tough retail environment.
‘The administrators believe the company’s internal reporting was inadequate and also identified directors’ drawings were at excessive levels given the poor trading performance and position of the company,’ Mr Dixon told The Australian.
The court heard Sachinidis told police ‘that’s not me’ and that ‘lots of people have beards’ when confronted with CCTV footage after being arrested in May
