Police ‘sent chopper to check on client’
THE lawyer for a Gold Coast panel beater allegedly at the centre of a Middle Eastern organised crime network says police are “overzealous” and waste community resources checking up on her client while he is on bail.
Jaymin Ray Higham was granted bail at the Brisbane Supreme Court on Thursday for drug trafficking, extortion, firearm possession, cash posession, entering a premises and commiting an indictable offence and drug possession.
Yesterday Higham made a brief appearance in the Southport Magistrates Court where his application to remove a curfew on his bail conditions was granted.
Following Higham’s appearance, his solicitor Danielle Heable, of Havas and Dib Lawyers, said she took issue with what she said was an “overzealous” approach used by police while Higham had previously been on bail in June 2017.
Ms Heable said this included groups of more than a dozen police checking in on Higham’s bail address in the early hours of the morning and police landing a helicopter at his Brisbane work address to check in on him.
Ms Heable said she was so concerned about the treatment she had communicated with Police Commissioner Ian Stewart about the matter.
“It’s completely unnecessary and a waste of community resources to send 10 to 15 police to his address for a simple bail check,” Ms Heable said.
Prior to his release this week Higham had been in prison since December after he was arrested in his highend apartment at the Hilton Surfers Paradise.
Police allege Higham is a “significant figure” in the syndicate and say his arrest will have an effect on its operations and activities.
“We allege he has been a major contributor to the drug problem on the Gold Coast and from a public safety aspect it’s a significant arrest,” acting inspector of the organised crime gangs group, detective Mick Walker told the Bulletin last year.
Ms Heable said the nature of the police case against Higham was weak.
“Mr Higham is relieved to be on bail. The Supreme Court determined that the nature of the case is weak,” Ms Heable said.
“The committal charges Mr Higham was previously subject to were all dismissed. We argued that was a weak case from the beginning.”
Higham is expected to appear in the Brisbane Supreme Court on June 4.