CREEP IN A SUIT
SOLICITOR Adrian Praljak will return to work for his up-market legal firm today despite pleading guilty to sending hundreds of creepy messages and emails to a law student he dated for two weeks.
The text pest was sentenced to 18 months probation and 180 hours community service yesterday for stalking the woman for nearly two years.
Praljak changed jobs this week. His new employer only learnt of his court case when the Bulletin asked for comment.
A GOLD Coast lawyer will return to work for his up-market legal firm today despite pleading guilty to sending hundreds of creepy text messages and emails to a law student he dated for two weeks.
Solicitor Adrian Praljak was sentenced to 18 months probation and 180 hours community service in the Southport Magistrates Court yesterday for stalking the woman for nearly two years.
Police prosecutor Senior Constable Jay Merchant said Praljak also sent an email from his former firm, Gold Coast Legal Exchange, threatening to block the woman’s admission to practice law.
The text messages the 32-yearold sent between September, 2015, and July 30, 2016, alternated between proclaiming his love for her and accusing her of cheating on him.
“I am not blackmailing you,” one text message read.
Others included: “Police reports filed. You owe me $6000 for many trips cancelled”; “I can never be with you because I believe you have slept with many men”; and “I don’t believe you will make it to being a successful lawyer”.
Praljak even included the deputy-vice chancellor at Bond University in an email to the law student and accused her of taking drugs and sleeping with teaching staff.
“You are sleeping with Bond University professors and staff and you can get away with it because you are female,” he wrote. “How are you even a law student.”
The woman told police they only dated for two weeks before she asked to just be friends.
Praljak’s lawyer Danielle Hurda, of Bamberry Lawyers, said the text messages were sent in response to spending time with the woman.
She said during one exchange the woman told Praljak that he may have misunderstood her but she was not inviting him to move to Canada with her but to go on vacation.
Ms Hurda said Praljak was immature and inexperienced when it came to relationships.
“He was trying to come to grips with this relationship,” she said.
Ms Hurda said the woman did not take the threat to block her admission seriously and text back: “For what? Not going out with you?”
Praljak has enrolled in a domestic violence program which he will be required to complete as a part of his probation.
Praljak has worked at a number of firms since his admission as a lawyer in 2009 and in the past couple of days started at James McConvill & Associates.
His new firm was blindsided and were not aware of the charges until contacted by the Bulletin.
The maximum penalty for stalking is five years in prison and escalates up to seven years if violence or a domestic violence order is involved.
The Queensland Law Society will review Praljak’s legal practising certificate to determine if he is a danger to his clients by looking at the court’s decision and any psychologists reports.
The QLS will also look at whether Praljak abused his position as a solicitor by sending the woman a message threatening her future in the legal industry from his work email.