Building manager filled secret unit block ‘cave’ with stolen goods

Everybody has a bad building manager story, but the man in charge of four blocks in Sydney’s Jacksons Landing surely takes the biscuit.

Jaden Hati, 42, built himself an ‘Aladdin’s-cave’ in the basement of one apartment block, where he stored goods stolen from residents’ lock-ups then spied on his victims on a hacked CCTV network.

But, according to a story in the Sydney Morning Herald, it might all have gone unnoticed if he hadn’t decided to branch out from stealing to dealing drugs.

Mr Hati was targeted as a result of a police investigation into the supply of prohibited drugs on Sydney’s north shore, which culminated in the arrest of three men in Lane Cove last month.

Hati was then arrested following an investigation into the theft of hundreds of items from residents’ storage cages in four strata blocks that he managed  in Pyrmont.

He had built a secret den in the basement of one of the buildings,  using rainwater tanks to construct a living space, complete with a bedroom, kitchenette, laundry and bathroom.

He also hacked a computer database at the complex, logging into security camera footage and cloning electronic key fobs to give non-residents access to the complex carpark.

While he was living in the cave and using it to store stolen property, he was also setting up a hydroponic cannabis cultivation system in another rainwater tank.

Hati is still in police custody after pleading guilty to all offences and will be sentenced at Sutherland Local Court on September 30.

Some residents told the SMH that Hati’s 24/7 presence at the strata blocks worried them but others liked the fact that he was “always there,” was handy with repairs and good at managing on-site contractors.

According to a letter from the Jacksons Landing Community Association to residents, Hati’s activities were first discovered by the site’s security services, following a number of storage cage thefts in March.

It added that while he had modified areas of one building basement, residential apartments were unaffected.