Latest news with #blackmail
The Australian
3 hours ago
- Politics
- The Australian
Annabel Digance found guilty of blackmailing Peter Malinauskas: court
A former Labor MP who has launched a $2.3m lawsuit against South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas was earlier found guilty of blackmailing him, a court has been told. Annabel Digance is suing Mr Malinauskas for damages, claiming he orchestrated a 'malicious prosecution' against her to further his own political ambitions and crush a parliamentary inquiry into alleged bullying in the Labor Party. The former parliamentarian's civil lawsuit was heard for the first time in the South Australian Supreme Court on Wednesday. Justice Graham Dart revealed Mrs Digance and her husband Greg had been found guilty of blackmailing Mr Malinauskas before their charges were later dropped, according to court records. Justice Dart said he had an order from the lower District Court saying there had been a finding of guilt. 'There's a sealed order of a court saying , someone has pleaded guilty and ... this is the penalty, or these are the orders made as a consequence of that guilt,' he said. Annabel and Greg Digance were found guilty of blackmailing Mr Malinauskas before the charges were dropped. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe Mr Malinauskas has led South Australian since 2022. Picture: Martin Ollman Mrs Digance and her husband Greg were charged with blackmailing Mr Malinauskas in 2021, but the charges were dropped in 2023 after the couple agreed to refrain from contacting him. The alleged blackmail conduct centred on secret recordings between Mr Malinauskas and Mr Digance in February 2020 and Mr and Mrs Digance in March 2020. The pair were never sentenced and the case was dismissed by District Court Judge Paul Muscat. On Wednesday, Michael Abbott KC, appearing for Mr Malinauskas, spoke about how the Digances could have been found guilty but not sentenced, suggesting the DPP had 'interrupted' standard legal processes. 'Judge Muscat, when he entered the court, thought he was undertaking a directions hearing … it was then made clear to him, there were to be no directions made, but the matter was to be brought to a conclusion,' Mr Abbott said. 'The sentencing process, which took place, included the making of the (court) orders. After those orders were made, the sentencing process … was then brought to an end by the Director of Public Prosecutions, entering a nolle prosequi.' Nolle prosequi is a legal term that refers to a prosecutorial decision to bring a criminal proceeding to an end. 'The sentencing process, which took place, included the making of the (court) orders. After those orders were made, the sentencing process … was then brought to an end by the Director of Public Prosecutions. 'The sentencing process was not complete,' Mr Abbott said. 'The sentencing judge could have gone on to impose a sentence of imprisonment, or a fine, or a bond. 'However, apparently, the correspondence, presumably, and the arrangement was made with the DPP, was that the only penalty (was the court order). 'That's what the nolle prosequi did, it interrupted the sentencing process by bringing it to an immediate termination.' Martin Hinton KC is South Australia's DPP. Mr Abbott asked Justice Dart to order the South Australian Police and Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to hand over documents explaining the agreement with the Digances. 'Given the outcome, there must have been an agreement reached that if they effectively agreed to (court) orders, the rest of the charges wouldn't be pursued,' Justice Dart asked. 'That's what we understand to be the effect of whatever communications occurred, but we of course were not party to any of that,' Mr Abbott said. Mrs Digance's Statement of Claim, submitted by Carroll and O'Dea Solicitors, argues her arrest and prosecution caused 'injury, loss, damage and harm' and that Mr Malinauskas conspired with the SA Police to pursue her. 'The circumstances giving rise to the causes of action immediately caused the cancellation of Mrs Digance's employment, permanently damaged Mrs Digance's prospects of further employment, required Mrs Digance to incur substantial legal expenses in defending herself against the prosecution and required Mrs Digance to incur medical expenses,' the claim states. Annabel Digance was a former Labor member of the South Australian parliament and a candidate for the federal seat of Boothby. Picture: Supplied The lawsuit is directed against both the premier and the state of South Australia, represented by the South Australian Police and the Director of Public Prosecutions. Mrs Digance is asking for $2.3m in damages. The claim references the issue of nolle prosequi and argues Mr Hinton's legal maneuver supported Mrs Digance's position. 'On April 21, 2023, the prosecution was terminated in favour of Mrs Digance when the Director of Public Prosecutions, Martin Hinton, entered a nolle prosequi,'the claim states. 'The entry of the nolle prosequi was, in practical effect, an acceptance that there were no prospects of the prosecution succeeding, it had been unreasonable to commence the prosecution and it had been unreasonable to maintain the prosecution.' Justice Dart spoke of the finding of guilt in reference to Mrs Digance's claim of 'malicious prosecution'. 'My understanding from malicious prosecution generally is, if there's some finding of anything approaching guilt, then the prosecution's not malicious,' he said. On Wednesday, Mr Abbott and lawyers representing the state of South Australia state indicated they would apply for summary judgement in relation to some of the claims, meaning they will argue the case should be thrown out without going to trial. Applications will be filed with the court by August 29, with a next hearing scheduled for September 4. Read related topics: Adelaide Duncan Evans Reporter Duncan Evans is a reporter for News Corp's NewsWire service, based in Adelaide. Before NewsWire, he worked as a resources and politics reporter for The Daily Mercury in Mackay, Queensland and as a reporter at CQ Today, an independent newspaper based in Rockhampton. He was raised in Emerald and Brisbane and studied English Literature and American Studies at the University of Sydney. He began his career in journalism working for the Jakarta Post in Indonesia for over two years as an editor, translator and writer. He is fluent in Indonesian. @Duncanevans01 Duncan Evans
BBC News
5 hours ago
- BBC News
South Yorkshire Police officer accused of £3,500 blackmail scheme
A South Yorkshire Police officer has appeared in court accused of blackmailing a man into handing over £3,500 and of making false notebook Thompson, 28, of Andover Street, Sheffield, had worked as a police constable in Doncaster until she was arrested in October 2023 and suspended from appeared at Leeds Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, charged with blackmail and perverting the course of justice, and was bailed until her next appearance at Leeds Crown Court on 26 Sup James Axe, head of Professional Standards, said any officer found to be guilty of criminal offences or misconduct would be "dealt with appropriately". The charges against PC Thompson came following an investigation by the force's Professional Standards Department and relate to an alleged wrongful handling of an investigation, police internal misconduct investigation is also being carried out alongside the criminal investigation. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
A premier, a former MP and a case of blackmail
The secret blackmailing of premier-in-waiting Peter Malinauskas has been revealed in an Adelaide court. But the perpetrator - herself a former MP - was never sentenced after the charges were dropped in a deal with prosecutors. Annabel Digance is now suing Mr Malinauskas and the state of South Australia for $2.3 million for allegedly instigating what she claims was a malicious prosecution mounted to damage her reputation. In April 2023, prosecutors elected not to proceed with blackmail charges against Mrs Digance and her husband Greg, after they agreed to a ban on contacting Mr Malinauskas and his family. That decision was made in a closed District Courtroom, and the details emerged for the first time during separate proceedings for Mrs Digance's lawsuit in the South Australian Supreme Court on Wednesday. Mr Malinauskas' counsel Michael Abbott KC said when the judge in the blackmail case entered court, he thought he was undertaking a directions hearing but was then invited to proceed as a sentencing judge. "Orders were made ... and the sentencing jurisdiction of the judge was then brought to an end by the director of public prosecutions," Mr Abbott said. An order - known in legal circles as a nolle prosequi - was imposed "so that the sentencing judge was deprived of going any further by imposing a sentence of imprisonment, fine or bond". Associate Justice Graham Dart on Wednesday said that "whatever else might be said, the prosecution bore fruit because Mr and Mrs Digance agreed or consented to orders being made against them". "The orders are expressed to be for the benefit of Mr Malinauskas' protection, and then they consent to the orders." The blackmail charges stemmed from a meeting between Mr Digance and then opposition leader Mr Malinauskas in February 2020, which was recorded by Mr Malinauskas and handed to police. Defence documents filed by the state government say at that meeting, Mr Digance demanded Mrs Digance "be secured an upper or lower house seat in the SA parliament, and that a failure to do so would result in Mr Malinauskas' career being deliberately damaged". In her statement of claim, Mrs Digance states Mr Malinauskas reported the meeting to police in March 2020, "claiming he was a victim of blackmail". In her lawsuit, Mrs Digance also alleges trespass, wrongful arrest and false imprisonment by SA Police. On Wednesday, Mr Abbott asked the court to order that the government hand over files from SA Police and the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions that explain the agreement reached for the Digances to avoid sentencing. Associate Justice Dart said "much turns on" any agreement between the DPP and the Digances in the prior criminal proceedings. Mr Abbott and Todd Golding, for the state government and SA police, indicated they planned to lodge applications for the lawsuit to be dismissed. The matter returns to court on September 4.
South China Morning Post
a day ago
- South China Morning Post
Girl, 14, blackmailed in Hong Kong via chat app by user who took video of her
Hong Kong police are investigating the case of a 14-year-old girl who was blackmailed by a stranger on a mobile chat app, who claimed to have taken an indecent video of her. The force on Tuesday said it received a report from the girl at 10.49pm the day before at Tsz Hong Estate in Tsz Wan Shan. According to a police spokesman, the girl met the stranger on a voice chat app called Wefun and her indecent video was filmed via WhatsApp. There was no monetary loss reported. After a preliminary investigation, the force classified the alleged crime as making an unwarranted demand with menaces. No arrests have been made yet, as the case is being investigated by the Wong Tai Sin district investigation team. According to Apple's App Store, Wefun is a platform for 'pure, sincere and warm voice chats' for young people. Interactive games are also available on the app. A check by the Post found that the app provides a number of chatrooms with various themes such as making friends, chatting with a girlfriend, and singing karaoke. Many of the chatrooms use profile pictures with simplified Chinese characters.
ABC News
a day ago
- ABC News
Man jailed for decade-long $1.7 million extortion of former lover
A North Queensland court has been told a man who blackmailed his former lover made his victim's life a living hell. The man, aged in his 40s, pleaded guilty in the District Court in Townsville on Tuesday to one count of extortion. He admitted to coercing a woman into paying him about $1.7 million over more than a decade by threatening to tell her husband about their past affair. Judge Gregory Lynham sentenced the man, who cannot be be named to protect his victim, to 10 years in jail. In his sentencing remarks Judge Lynham said the man had forced the woman to pay $1.7 million in more than 1,000 transactions from 2013 until his arrest in 2023. The woman's victim impact statement showed how much she had suffered, he said. "Prior to your incarceration her life had been controlled by your phone calls and constant demands," he said. "Things started to take a turn for the worse, and from that time on her life became a living hell. Judge Lynham said the offending escalated from 2013, despite the woman's desperate attempts to break off contact. "He commenced to blackmail the complainant by threatening if he did not meet his demands he would tell her husband she had engaged in several affairs, including their own," he said. The woman blocked the man's number and disconnected her landline, but the harassment continued. "If the complainant missed your calls and did not respond within a certain time frame the amount demanded would increase," Judge Lynham said. The woman had initially asked solicitors to send cease-and-desist letters but eventually felt her only recourse was to go to police, who charged him in late 2023. He was taken into custody in April 2024 after breaching bail by continuing to contact her. Judge Lynham described the offending as unsophisticated but serious, and evidently motivated by an alcohol and gambling addiction. "You were turning over tens of thousands of dollars each week in a SportsBet account," he said. "There's no suggestion you used the money to fund an extravagant lifestyle." The man will be eligible for parole in May 2027.
