Supreme Court to consider lifting suppression order on Cairns extortion case

A Supreme Court judge has been asked to overturn a suppression order masking the identity of a high-profile Queensland man named in an extortion case. Lawyers for four media outlets including the ABC have sought a Supreme Court judicial review of the order. What's next? The judicial review has been adjourned to July 31 at the Supreme Court in Cairns. A Supreme Court judge has been asked to overturn a suppression order preventing a high-profile Queensland man at the centre of an extortion allegation from being unmasked. The Cairns Magistrates Court has heard a man charged with extortion — who cannot be named — threatened to reveal information about his former partner and a married Queensland public figure. Acting Magistrate Gelma Meoli on Monday made a non-publication order in the terms sought by Queensland Police Service prosecutors. The order suppresses the identities of all the parties involved in the case, including the high-profile man, who is neither a witness in the court proceedings nor a direct target of the extortion. Police also asked the court to prohibit publication of "details of the threat to cause detriment". The Magistrates Court declined to provide the ABC with a copy of the non-publication order after it was made on Monday, saying the content of the order was suppressed. Lawyers for four media outlets, including the ABC, have sought a Supreme Court judicial review of Magistrate Meoli's order. The application to lift the suppression order on the high-profile man's identity wentbefore Justice James Henry on Wednesday morning for a directions hearing in a closed court. The judicial review has been adjourned to July 31 at the Supreme Court in Cairns. That hearing is due to begin in a closed court, with the parties due to make submissions as to whether it should remain closed. Brydie Bilic, the accused man's barrister, previously opposed the high-profile man's name being included in the suppression order while it was before the magistrates court. In making the non-publication order on Monday, Magistrate Meoli acknowledged the married man mentioned in open court "has a high public profile". However, she said the order was not made because of that high profile or any embarrassment, distress or reputational harm he may suffer. "The threat of exposing the married man goes to the very heart of the threat, in my view," Magistrate Meoli said on Monday. "Not suppressing the married man's name then offers the complainant no protection and, as I have already stated, enables the respondent to achieve publicly, the very nature of the charge of extortion." It has not been alleged the married man had any knowledge of the extortion. The man accused of extortion is next due to appear in the Cairns Magistrates Court on July 28.