A judge presiding over the trial of Kleenmaid founder Andrew Young has discharged the jury

SUNSHINE Coast-based white goods distributor Kleenmaid collapsed eight years ago with nearly $100 million in debts but the legal dramas it spawned are still stewing.

Andrew Young (left) and Brad Young.

SUNSHINE Coast-based white goods distributor Kleenmaid collapsed eight years ago with nearly $100 million in debts but the legal dramas it spawned are still stewing.

In a surprise move, the judge presiding over the trial of company founder and former director Andrew Eric Young has discharged the jury after almost two months of hearing evidence of alleged fraud and insolvent trading.

Brisbane District Court Judge Brian Devereaux took the unusual step on October 20 after Young, who has no legal counsel and is representing himself, fell ill with an unspecified ailment.

City Beat sources told us the extended time needed for his recovery created “continuity issues with regard to how long a jury can be interrupted’’.

But Young, a 64-year-old discharged bankrupt who once toiled as a washing machine repairman, is not off the hook.

Crown prosecutors will seek a new trial date when the matter is next listed for mention on November 24 and it’s expected to kick off in the middle of next year.

Back in late August, Young pleaded not guilty to 19 fraud and insolvent trading charges at the start of the now-aborted trial, which was set down for 18 weeks.

It’s alleged he dishonestly obtained a $13 million loan from Westpac when the terminal prospects of the Kleenmaid group were already clear.

His younger brother and fellow director, Bradley Wendell Young, was found guilty of 18 fraud and insolvent trading offences in August last year after a 71-day trial. He’s now serving a nine-year sentence in the iron motel.

Another Kleenmaid director, Gary Collyer Armstrong, pleaded guilty to fraud and insolvent trading charges in late 2015 and received a seven-year sentence. He could get out on parole as soon as February.

AN OXYMORON

Fashionable orthopedic shoes. Sounds like an oxymoron, doesn’t it?

But a Brisbane podiatrist who designed more stylish versions of the sensible footwear has won a top gong for her efforts.

Caroline McCulloch was named “Business Person of the Year’’ last night at Lord Mayor Graham Quirk’s 12th annual Business Awards bash at City Hall.

It might be a bit of stretch but Quirk told a black tie crowd of nearly 700 that her designs had given the typically clunky and unattractive shoes “an image overhaul and transformed the industry’’.

McCulloch launched her FRANKiE4 company in 2011 and now sells her footwear throughout Australia and New Zealand. Next up is Europe.

Dr Chris Jeffery, a 31-year-old former engineer and Army officer turned roboticist, walked away with the “Young Business Person of the Year’’ award for his medical innovation work at RER Labs.

Jewellery industry stalwart Wallace Bishop took home a “Lifetime Achievement Award’’. Starting off as a watchmaker in 1950, Bishop still heads a family-owned company celebrating its 100th year in the game.

GETTING HIGH

Queensland’s new Chief Entrepreneur Steve Baxter has wasted almost no time before getting airborne to zip around the state.

The Shark Tank star and River City Labs founder cruised around Rockhampon yesterday ahead of a side trip to Emerald.

After returning to Brisbane, he’ll be taking a few tech entrepreneurs with him on a journey to Bundaberg and Hervey Bay next week.

Then it’s on to Townsville in early December and a possible western Queensland sojourn before Christmas.

Along the way he’s visiting schools and startup hubs, as well as councils and business groups.

Baxter took over the unpaid role from inaugural Chief Entrepreneur Mark Sowerby earlier this month and made clear that he sees great untapped potential in the regions.

He’s keen to have startup founders and other tech stars join him as he crisscrosses the state over the next 12 months.