Charged former G8 chair allowed to fly to Indonesia

EMBATTLED Brisbane businesswoman Jennifer Hutson won a brief reprieve from strict bail conditions yesterday that will allow her to travel overseas.

A magistrate has ruled the former chair of Gold Coast childcare provider G8 Education can travel to a conference in Indonesia on September 28 for about three weeks despite Crown concerns she could be a flight risk.

Hutson, who is defending 30 charges stemming from a failed G8 takeover bid in 2015, will have to post a $200,000 bond.

She will also have to give her passport back to the court within two days of her return on October 20.

Her lawyer, Glen Cranny, told the Brisbane Magistrates Court that Hutson has very strong ties to Queensland, including two children at home, and there was “absolutely no risk of her not returning’’. He also said that Hutson had no assets overseas. The court heard that Hutson hoped to make a presentation at a seminar for health professionals in Indonesia and that it was a repeat of a similar trip she had made in the past.

Mr Cranny criticised the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions’ “stubbornness and intransigence’’ for opposing the proposed bail variation.

But the Crown prosecutor told the court Hutson was facing serious charges, which include providing false information and perverting the course of justice.

If found guilty, she could face a term of imprisonment. The Crown told the court the bail variation was “fraught with risk’’.

It also said there was a “distinct lack of imperative’’ for her to travel when she could deliver her presentation electronically.

Hutson declined to comment after the brief hearing but Mr Cranny later issued a statement.

“It is inappropriate for Ms Hutson to say anything at this time, other than to note that she intends to vigorously defend the charges,’’ he said.