I wanted laugh, not sex

Alleged extortion victim didn’t know reality star

EX-PENTHOUSE pet and reality star Suzi Taylor’s alleged extortion victim says he did not know of her celebrity status when he showed up at a New Farm property to “drink wine and have a laugh” with the woman.

David Butler also told the Brisbane Magistrates Court during a committal hearing for Suellen Taylor and Ali Ebrahimi on Wednesday he knew Taylor was working as an escort but did not meet her for sex in October last year.

He claimed he was tied up with an iPhone cable, assaulted and threatened before being forced to hand over his bank details at the property after he refused to pay Taylor after they started kissing in the bedroom.

Both Taylor and Ebrahimi were on Wednesday committed to stand trial in the Brisbane District Court at a date to be fixed on charges of deprivation of liberty, assault occasioning bodily harm and extortion over the alleged attack.

The court heard Mr Butler had been drinking after knocking off work when he arranged to meet the former The Block star, who he knew as “Katie”, on a dating application.

The court heard Katie and Mr Butler had been communicating in the weeks leading up to the meeting but Mr Butler could not remember whether they met on the dating applications Tinder or Plenty of Fish or on an escort site.

He conceded under crossexamination from Ebrahimi’s defence barrister Patrick Wilson that he knew Katie had a profile on the escort websites Scarlett Blue and Escorts and Babes but said he had not met her for sex on the night he visited the apartment where the alleged assault took place.

Mr Butler told the court he met up with Taylor to “drink wine and have a laugh”.

Under cross examination from Taylor’s defence lawyer Michael Gatenby, Mr Butler said he heard Katie was on the escort websites because other people had told him.

“Let’s not be cute, you knew she was a prostitute, didn’t you?” Mr Gatenby said.

“Yes,” Mr Butler replied, but said he did not know the value of her “services”.

Mr Gatenby asked Mr Butler if he knew of Ms Taylor’s “status in television” when he began chatting to her online.

“No, I did not know because her name was Katie,” Mr Butler said, adding he hadn’t seen a photo of Taylor on the sites.

“I had no idea who she was until the police officer at Fortitude Valley police station informed me who she was.”

Mr Butler later conceded he had seen a photograph but didn’t put “two-and-two together” that Katie was Taylor while he was at the unit.