OLYMPIAN’S FALL FROM GRACE STORY PAGE 2
Gold medallist fronts court
EXCLUSIVE: FORMER Olympic diving champion Chantelle Lee Newbery will today appear in the city’s Magistrates Court facing a string of charges after her arrest last Friday.
Newbery, 41, was on top of the sporting world after her gold and bronze medal wins at the 2004 Athens Olympics, but a Magistrate claimed during a weekend sitting of court she was now at risk of serving time in jail if convicted on a number of charges including failing to appear in court and stealing.
Newbery made history as the first Australian woman to win diving gold at an Olympics and it is understood she will apply for bail this morning.
Her lawyer described her current situation and legal troubles as “quite a fall from grace”.
EXCLUSIVE: FORMER Olympic golden girl Chantelle Lee Newbery will find herself in the dock of the city’s Magistrates Court today in what her lawyer described on Saturday as “quite a fall from grace”.
Newbery, who won diving gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics, will front court after police picked her up last Friday on two failing to appear charges.
The former gold medallist also has a string of four stealing offences allegedly committed in the Toowoomba region before the courts.
During the weekend’s sitting of the Magistrates Court, it was heard that Newbery, 41, is now residing in social housing accommodation 14 years after her heroics at the highest level of elite sport.
With her lawyer Robert Burns running late in a bid to make the court appearance from Brisbane on Saturday, duty lawyer Nathan Bouchier successfully sought to adjourn her matters to today.
The matter was re-mentioned when Mr Burns arrived who, noting his client as a “sportsperson of note”, said he would personally attend Newbery’s home “where her medals were kept” to prove it was a suitable bail address.
Newbury was the first Australian woman to ever win Olympic diving gold and also claimed gold, silver and bronze medals at various Commonwealth Games and World Championships during her glittering career.
The Olympic 10m platform champion also won a bronze in the springboard synchro at the 2004 Games.
Mr Burns pleaded with Magistrate Keegan and police prosecutor Senior Constable Leea Trewin to have the address checked with his assistance by officers on Saturday so a bail application to release his client from the watchhouse could be made prior to today.
“The police don’t just work Monday to Friday, they have resources they can use on a weekend,” he said.
Senior Constable Trewin submitted only police had the power to check a potential bail address, and that inquiries would have to be made with the arresting officers before any court application could proceed.
Magistrate Keegan adjourned Newbery’s matters to be heard back in the same court today, noting she was at risk of serving actual time in custody if convicted of the charges.
It is expected Newbery will apply for bail.