A Channel 7 television personality accused of a series of assault and torture charges is facing a delay in his case after the court was told that a “significant” amount of material, including text messages, remains outstanding.
Police first filed multiple child abuse-related charges against the man and his partner in August 2023, with the woman facing nearly 80 charges, including rape, indecent treatment of children under 16, torture and sexual assault.
Police allege the crimes occurred between 2005 and 2020.
The man faces six counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm while armed/in company, two counts of common assault, one count of observing or recording in breach of privacy and two counts of torture.
The media have been prevented from identifying the couple, who appeared together on a high-profile Channel 7 programme, after a magistrate granted the woman a sweeping non-publication order over concerns about her ability to self-harm due to increased media coverage. .
The case of the man, who cannot be identified, was mentioned in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday. Stock image of the silhouette in the photo
On Monday, the man’s case was briefly mentioned in the Brisbane Magistrates Court.
The court was told the man’s lawyers had received a partial brief of evidence and needed up to three weeks to review it and confirm their client’s instructions.
But police prosecutors said a “significant” amount of material was still outstanding.
“Our office sent an email to the arresting officer on February 13,” a prosecutor told Deputy Chief Magistrate Anthony Gett.
“There’s a witness statement… some digital recordings of special witnesses, I’m told, as well as screenshots of text messages.”
Magistrate Gett granted a four-week adjournment in accordance with the prosecution’s requests.
The man’s case will return to court on March 18 for mention. His bail was extended.
The woman’s case will be mentioned in Richlands Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
She was initially charged with 36 offenses relating to alleged serious allegations of child abuse, and police charged her with a further 38 offenses on November 7 last year.
Court documents seen by NCA NewsWire reveal those charges include other charges of rape and child abuse spanning multiple locations in Queensland and dating back several years.
In October last year, Magistrate Aaron Simpson granted the woman a non-publication order after finding she was at risk of harming herself, should media coverage identify her.
Her ruling came after she attempted to self-harm last month, according to court documents.
Previously, Queensland legislation prevented the media from identifying people accused of a “prescribed sexual offence”, including rape, attempted rape, assault with intent to commit rape and sexual assault.
The media has been prevented from identifying the couple, who appeared together on a prominent Channel 7 programme. The Channel 7 logo is shown in the photo.
Changes introduced in the legislation on October 3 eased restrictions on the identification of people accused of the aforementioned crimes.
Some of the more prominent cases identified as a result included Bruce Lehrmann, previously known as a “high-profile man” and Ashley Paul Griffith, a child care worker accused of a series of abuse offences.
Both cases are still before the courts and no pleas have been filed.
Magistrate Simpson’s ruling on the woman’s identity was one of the first non-publication orders implemented after Queensland’s new sexual offenses identification laws were introduced.
