Mountain man Peter Foster given bail for fraud charges

SELF-DESCRIBED man of mischief Peter Foster will live in Tamborine Mountain after being granted bail for his alleged involvement in a $2m sports betting scam.

Foster did not appear for the bail application in the Southport Magistrates Court on Friday. He is charged with five counts of fraud, two counts of obtaining another identity details and one count of fraudulently using a record that was false.

Magistrate Janice Crawford said it was a difficult decision to make as it was hard to gauge the strength of the Crown case and that Foster’s character was “quite notorious”.

She imposed strict conditions, including living at an address in Tamborine Mountain, wear a GPS tracker, report to Southport police three days a week, abide by a curfew from 7pm to 7am, not leave the state or country, not travel further than 50km from his residential address and not approach an airport.

Crown prosecutor Christopher Cook told the court Foster had been convicted of dishonest offences on at least 11 occasions in four countries and at least three states of Australia. “In the past he has falsified passports, interfered with witnesses and been convicted of escaping custody,” he said. Mr Cook said in the past Foster had used 20 aliases.

Foster was arrested for the fraud in a dramatic fashion in Port Douglas in August 2020 when he was crash-tackled by plain clothes police officers jogging on the beach.

He was taken to Sydney where charges were dropped last May, the court was told.

Foster had said he was making his way to Queensland to face charges but was found in Victoria in December last year before being extradited to Queensland.

Defence barrister Russell Pearce, instructed by Hannay Lawyers, said it would be “churlish of me in the extreme to say there is no risk Mr Foster might not appear” in court.

“He has never failed to comply with bail conditions.”

Mr Pearce said Foster had previously described himself as a “man of mischief” and “dined out on his notoriety”.

“He is so notorious it would be very difficult for him to abscond permanently. If he absconds he will regret it. If he absconds he won’t get bail.”

The matter was adjourned until next month.

Outside of court, Foster’s solicitor Chris Hannay, of Hannay Lawyers, said Foster would fight the charges.