Identity of man at centre of alleged extramarital relationship extortion remains suppressed
Barrister Brydie Bilic and instructing solicitor Michael Finch leave Cairns courthouse, where they argued against suppressing the name of a high-profile Queensland man in a local extortion case. (ABC News: Conor Byrne)
In short:
Acting Magistrate Gelma Meoli has extended an interim order to withhold the name of a high-profile Queensland man from publication.
It's alleged an extra-marital relationship is at the centre of an extortion attempt.
What's next?
The matter has been adjourned until next week to allow police prosecutions to file an application.
The identity of a high-profile Queensland man at the centre of an alleged extortion attempt will remain suppressed for now, with the frustrated magistrate labelling the last-minute process "unfair".
The Cairns Magistrates Court has heard a man attempted to extort his former partner by threatening to reveal what he claimed was an affair with the high-profile Queenslander.
Police prosecutor Senior Sergeant Phillip Stephens argued for details about the allegations to be suppressed at a hearing today.
Senior Sergeant Stephens told the court the accused man had threatened to reveal information about a "historic" relationship allegedly dating back to 2017.
"The threat was in relation to 'come to a formal agreement that favours me, or I am going to do X, Y and Z'," Senior Sergeant Stephens told the court.
"[He] threatened to contact the married man, his wife, or place of employment."
Senior Sergeant Phillip Stephens has been given more time to work on a non-publication order application, which would hide the name of the high-profile Queensland man. (ABC News: Conor Byrne)
Acting Magistrate Gelma Meoli issued an interim non-publication order on Friday preventing the names of the complainant, the defendant, or the high-profile man from being published.
Today, she extended the order until a further hearing next week.
"The allegations are that the defendant will, if she doesn't comply or agree with him, out her affair," Ms Meoli said.
"If [the high-profile man] is then not part of the suppression order, he's achieved his purpose."
Defence barrister Brydie Bilic argued against the high-profile man being included in the suppression order, telling the court his name would not lead to the female complainant or the accused being identified.
"[The prosecution] has had the entire weekend to produce to Your Honour some evidence, if there is some link," she told the court.
"[The high-profile man] does not have standing in this court. This court should not be minded with his embarrassment."
However, Senior Sergeant Stephens told the court complainants needed to feel protected in coming forward about extortion attempts.
The name of the high-profile Queenslander has been raised in an extortion case before the Cairns Magistrates Court. (ABC News: Conor Byrne)
Acting Magistrate Meoli explained she had taken advice from the chief magistrate.
"When I realised what all this was about [on Friday], I adjourned to take some advice from my superiors," she said.
Ms Meoli was critical of the way the application for the suppression order was made and asked prosecutors and the defence to make submissions in writing before next Monday if they wanted a long-term non-publication order over the case.
"To have this application [for a non-publication order] brought in … on a Friday is terribly unfair to any magistrate," she said.
"Today is full of arrests in the watch house. It is very inappropriate for this to be … rushed through."
Ms Bilic told the court her client "had a genuine basis of seeking to prevent the complainant's name and photos of the complainant from being all over the papers throughout the weekend".