Foster flies for court date
Parting words after drama in the tropics
CONMAN Peter Foster is set to appear in a Sydney court on Tuesday after being flown from Cairns in police custody five days after his arrest on a Port Douglas beach.
Foster, 57, is expected to face many charges linked to a sports betting scam that he had allegedly been running from the Far North for the past few weeks while also concocting a plan to flee the country on a luxury yacht.
He was flanked by Cairns and New South Wales detectives and escorted through Cairns Airport’s domestic terminal on Monday.
He was asked by a media pack what he wished to say about his arrest, then proceeded to make unfounded claims against Ken Gamble, the private investigator who tracked him down at Port Douglas and liaised with NSW police during the investigation.
Foster is accused of fleecing “millions of dollars from investors” through online sports trading operation Sport Predictions, while working under an alias. He had allegedly been staying at Port Douglas for the past few weeks under another false name – Bill Duffy.
Foster was also asked by media at the airport about the welfare of his two dogs who were with him during his dramatic arrest on the beach. “They’re great,” he said. “That’s the most beautiful question any journalist has ever asked me.”
New vision shows the moment two cops levelled Foster as he was out for a casual morning walk on a Port Douglas beach last week. The video shows two undercover officers jogging along the beach before they veer towards the unsuspecting Foster.
The pair engage in a tackle, one around the legs, another over the top, as the 57-year-old is felled.
Yesterday, Foster also alleged it was Mr Gamble who had left clients out of pocket.
Mr Gamble is not accused of any wrongdoing.
Foster had allegedly been negotiating the purchase of a million-dollar yacht, Achilles III, parked at the marina, in a bid to flee the country.