Ex reality star guilty of breach
Troubled ex-reality TV star Suzi Taylor’s plans for a fresh start in a new city were “derailed” when she was arrested on her way to the airport, a court has been told.
Taylor – who rose to prominence on the 2015 season of The Block – pleaded guilty to a single charge of breaching bail when she faced Southport Magistrates Court on Thursday.
It was heard Taylor failed to report to Broadbeach police 13 times between March 22 and July 19 last year. Each breach was initially charged individually before being condensed this week.
Defence lawyer Michael Gatenby, of Gatenby Criminal Lawyers, said Taylor suffered from agoraphobia – an anxiety disorder – and distress, and a doctor said she was “unfit” to attend court in May last year and it would likely impact her ability to report. Mr Gatenby said his client was arrested on these charges only days after being sentenced for minor drug offences in July last year.
“We explained (in July) that Ms Taylor’s intention was to travel interstate – that she had a job opportunity, she had accommodation in Sydney – but she’s arrested by police in respect of these matters on the way to the airport,” he said.
“(It) derailed all of those steps that this lady has proposed to attend to.”
Mr Gatenby said remaining in Queensland after the new charges were laid had cost Taylor the Sydney-based advertising work.
Taylor was fined $200 for the bail offence, with magistrate Dzenita Balic accepting the “consistent failure” stemmed from her mental health concerns and would have brought a larger fine if dealt with at her last sentencing. Taylor has an unrelated fraud charge before the courts listed for February 22.