State moves on drug cash
MORE than $100,000 in alleged drug money hidden under a pile of hi-vis work shirts in the wardrobe of a Queensland man’s home is set to be frozen and held by the state under laws targeting criminals’ dirty cash.
Details of the stash found in the home of Jordan Barclay, 26, son of alleged ice kingpin Paul Lindsay Barclay, 52, were revealed in the Queensland Supreme Court, where the state government has applied to have the money forfeited.
Police allege they found $111,850 in the walk-in wardrobe of the master bedroom during a search of Jordan Barclay’s home in New Beith, near Logan, on March 14.
The search of the home came a month after 2kg of ice, with a purity of 76 per cent, and a further $192,700 in cash were allegedly found hidden in the spare tyre of a Holden Colorado dual-cab ute driven by his father.
Paul Barclay’s co-accused and former Australia’s Most Wanted criminal Leslie Gordon Sharp, 53, was a passenger in the ute, court documents state. Both men were charged with ice trafficking, ice possession, and receiving property from trafficking.
Detective Senior Constable Damien Andersen said police suspected Paul Barclay and Sharp were couriering ice from the Sunshine Coast to Townsville when they were pulled over by police in Home Hill, 100km south of Townsville, on February 18, according to his affidavit filed in court.
When Paul Barclay called his son Jordan on the phone from Townsville prison after the raid on Jordan’s home, he is alleged to have told Jordan it was because police had listened in on an earlier call when Paul Barclay told Jordan to “go pick up” his money.
Paul Barclay allegedly discussed “ways to legitimise” the cash found in the wardrobe and also allegedly told Jordan “what to tell police regarding the money”.
He is also alleged to have phoned a relative from inside Townsville prison on March 15, and claimed to the relative that the $111,850 seized from Jordan’s home was his.
“Tell them it’s my legit money, isn’t it,” Paul Barclay told the relative.
The state is also applying to give the $192,700 found in the spare tyre, $1050 found in Paul Barclay’s wallet and $402 found in Sharp’s wallet on February 18 to the Public Trustee of Queensland.
Paul Barclay’s fingerprints were found on the clip-seal bag containing the $192,700, police allege.
The state government has also asked the court to force the pair to reveal a list of all their assets, worth $5000 or more, currently owned and those assets they owned in the past six years.
The asset-freezing case is in the Supreme Court in Brisbane on Wednesday.
Jordan Barclay is due to appear in the Beaudesert Magistrates Court on October 27 on charges of possessing property suspected of being the proceeds of an offence, as well as drug possession and possession of utensils. Paul Barclay and Sharp are due back in the Townsville Magistrates Court on November 16 on the trafficking charge.
A HIGH ranking soldier is speaking out on his own mental health battle to encourage others not to suffer in silence.
Deployments had ended and the eerily quiet isolation of COVID took its toll on Warrant Officer Class One Jason Watene as his change in behaviour and response to things prompted him to reach out for help.
With a 30 year army career under his belt, 11 overseas deployments and 14 postings, WO1 Watene said he had unresolved trauma that crept up on him at once.
“I had a few issues I haven’t dealt with over time, due to both my personal life experience, but also to my military experience,” WO1 Watene said. “Defence has been very helpful.
“I approached a psychiatrist for a referral for (hospital) intake and since then it’s changed my life.”
WO1 Watene took place in a game of wheelchair rugby between Townsville Private Clinic patients and Mates4mates members as part of Queensland Mental Health Week (10-18 October 2020), an annual awareness week that aims to shine a spotlight on individual and community mental health and wellbeing.
After taking part in a Townsville Private Clinic trauma program, WO1 Watene said he wanted to use the tools he’s learnt to take back to his workplace and better support other serving members of the defence force through their mental health journeys too.
“That course allowed me to identify traumas that I hadn’t dealt with previously,” he said. “And feel in a comfortable enough environment to actually articulate them to trusted people. Some of the stuff that I’ve worked on in the environment that they provide … is incredible.”
A TOWNSVILLE principal has been recognised for her inspirational passion in finding new ways to teach the leaders of tomorrow.
Heatley State School principal Dr Louise Wilkinson was recently announced as a recipient of the Australian Council for Educational Leaders (ACEL) New Voice in Educational Leadership Research Scholarship.
The scholarship recognises aspiring educational leaders and their demonstrated excellence in educational research.
It took Dr Wilkinson eight years to complete her 450,000 word PHD at JCU focused on the Indigenous Education Worker/community Education Counsellor (IEW/CEC) and principal professional relationship in a large educational region in North Queensland.
Dr Wilkinson was one of four recipients of the scholarship and said she was thrilled to be selected.
“I was very surprised actually. I thought there would be a big field, but I was very glad,” she said.
“The love and kindness I received from the staff has been quite overwhelming.”
The scholarship gives Dr Wilkinson an opportunity to attend a conference in Melbourne to discuss her PHD with her peers.