Raina Jane Cruise to stand trial accused of assaulting police officer, co-accused Matthew Stephen Priest fails to show in court
A failed Senate candidate and anti-vaxxer will stand trial over an alleged police assault – but now her co-accused faces being arrested. See the video.
Police & Courts
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Failed Senate candidate and anti-vaccine advocate Raina Jane Cruise will stand trial over allegations she tore off part of a police officer’s scalp during a brawl outside a pub.
But while Ms Cruise attended the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Wednesday as scheduled, her co-accused – convicted dodgy builder Matthew Stephen Priest – did not.
Stephen Ey, for both accused, said he “could not explain” why one of his two clients had not answered the conditions of their bail.
“The case against Mr Priest has a bit of a chequered history,” he said.
“I’ve got to say he has been derelict in contacting me, but I don’t want to concede an arrest warrant should be issued for him.”
Ms Cruise, 38, faces a five-year prison term if convicted of multiple counts of assault, failing to provide her personal details to a police officer and resisting arrest.
Mr Priest, 33, is charged with assaulting and resisting police, and refusing to give his name and address.
The charges arise from an October 2021 incident that allegedly began with Ms Cruise pulling a mask off a pub worker, and ended with a police officer’s hair being torn from her scalp.
Mr Priest, proprietor of Asentus Home Improvements, was last month convicted in his absence and fined $15,000 for taking on, but not finishing, building work while unlicensed.
On Thursday, the state’s chief magistrate, Judge Mary-Louise Hribal, suggested the best course was to deal with each defendant separately.
“Are you prepared to have Ms Cruise answer the charges today, and I will issue a warrant for Mr Priest that will lie until the next hearing?” she asked.
Mr Ey agreed.
“We concede Ms Cruise has a case to answer and she will be pleading not guilty to all of the charges,” he said.
After entering her not guilty pleas, Ms Cruise was remanded on continuing bail to face the District Court in September, when a trial date will be set.
Judge Hribal ordered Mr Priest appear in court in two weeks’ time, or the warrant for his arrest will activate.
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