Thousands of pages of phone data stall case of high-profile rape accused

The case of an unnameable high-profile man accused of rape has continued to idle in a Queensland court as prosecutors sought more time to examine 19 months of phone data from before and after the alleged offence.

The man, who remained on bail and had not been required to appear in the courtroom, faces two charges of rape from alleged events in Toowoomba in October 2021.

Lawyer Rowan King (left) outside Toowoomba Magistrates Court at an earlier hearing for the matter.Credit: AAP

Prosecutor Nicole Friedewald told Toowoomba Magistrates Court on Wednesday the phone data ran to “many thousands of pages” and her office should be finished reading them all by the end of next week.

More than eight months since the matter first entered court, it was again adjourned, this time for six weeks.

Queensland laws prevented media identifying people accused of sex offences until they were committed to stand trial, but parliament, acting on a recommendation from the government’s Women’s Safety and Justice Taskforce, passed amendments last week to change it and bring Queensland into line with other states.

The laws would not take effect until October 3.

The man’s lawyer, Rowan King, previously flagged he would seek a non-publication order before the date that would keep his client’s identity hidden.

The matter on Wednesday was adjourned until November 1 without any discussion of the government amendments or King’s impending application.

While passing the laws, Queensland Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath told parliament that arguments about sexual offence complaints being trivial or often falsified “had no place in our society”.

While the amendments would open doors for media to identify accused people earlier into often-lengthy court processes, they would also allow defendants, accusers and prosecutors to apply for non-publication orders with three days’ notice.

Media would be notified during this time and given the right to argue in court against a suppression.

A public media guide was expected to be released by the government this week.