Overview
- A Cairns magistrate extended a non-publication order that prevents naming a high-profile Queensland man after hearing prosecution submissions on the extortion case.
- The man whose identity is suppressed is not charged in the matter but was named in court as part of alleged threats by an accused man.
- Police told the court the accused threatened to expose a claimed 2017 affair, contact the married man’s wife and employer, and press for money tied to a property settlement.
- Media outlets represented by senior counsel argued the magistrate lacked jurisdiction to suppress the name and said identifying the married man would not identify the complainant.
- The hearing was closed to the public except accredited media and a police affidavit was tendered confidentially, with the matter due back in Cairns on July 28.