Police tapped Aaron Carlinos phone just days after his housemate Stephen Cooksons head washed

POLICE tapped an alleged drug dealer’s phone just days after his dismembered housemate’s head was found washed up a Rottnest Island beach.

Aaron Carlino has pleaded guilty to the December 15, 2012 manslaughter of 56-year-old underworld figure Stephen Cookson, but is fighting a murder charge.

He argues he was trapped in a relationship with his intimidating mentor and saw no other way out but to kill him.

Mr Cookson’s head washed up on a beach at the popular tourist destination Rottnest Island on January 6, 2013.

Four days later, police issued a warrant to tap Carlino’s phone. Hundreds of calls and text messages made from the phone that month were played to the jury in his Supreme Court trial on Tuesday.

In the recorded conversations, Carlino frequently arranged brief meetings with various people around Perth as he went about his day-to-day business.

In one exchange, a person texted Carlino that the police were at his house, to which Carlino replied, “they are probably looking for Steve”.

Last week in her opening statement, prosecutor Carmel Barbagallo argued Carlino killed Mr Cookson “in cold blood” because he wanted to take over his patch in the drug dealing scene.

Carlino’s cousin, Yovan Joshua Gonzalez, is also on trial, accused of interfering with Mr Cookson’s corpse.

The trial continues.

Originally published as Police tapped Aaron Carlino’s phone just days after his housemate Stephen Cookson’s head washed up on Rottnest: murder trial

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