100 witnesses to be grilled in alleged $3m boiler room fraud

MORE than 100 witnesses in a multimillion-dollar Gold Coast boiler room fraud case will be questioned in court about the methods police used to collect their statements.

Magistrate Kerry Magee said there was a “serious risk” that witnesses had been “unduly influenced”, during a committal hearing of the case in Southport

Magistrates Court on Friday.

Phil David Travers and Troy William Moncrieff are charged with one count each of fraud (dishonestly induce property of $30,000) and money laundering.

It is alleged they were part of a group of six people who are accused of scamming about $3 million from 178 people by selling bogus share-trading software.

Magistrate Magee ordered 103 witnesses be cross-examined about the police’s use of “pro forma” documents in collecting statements.

On day two of the committal hearing in August, defence barrister Angus Edwards accused police of sending the pro forma documents to witnesses and allowing them to “fill in the blanks”.

Magistrate Magee said it was “in the interest of justice” that the 103 witnesses be cross-examined about the issue.

“My view is this, if they weren’t cross-examined about whether they received a pro forma, then I think there are substantial reasons in the interest of justice for permitting cross-examination on that point,” she said on Friday.

“It is quite significant. There is a serious risk of their evidence having been unduly influenced by the pro forma.”

On Monday, Detective Sergeant Richard Millard from the Crime and Corruption Commission told the court he developed three “pro forma statements” for police to use.

He said they were intended to be used by police as a guide only and should not have been sent to witnesses.

The matter was adjourned to December 21.

There is a serious risk of their evidence having been unduly influenced by the pro forma MAGISTRATE KERRY MAGEE