Court lifts media ban on teacher’s bizarre death case
A court has lifted a ban on reporting details of the strange events surrounding the death of a Brisbane teacher.
QLD News
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A ban on reporting details of the events leading up to the bizarre death of a Brisbane private school teacher has been lifted by a court after the media challenged the suppression order.
But fresh restrictions on reporting the case against three people charged in relation to the death of Anthony Stott have been imposed as part of a new court order.
The popular and respected French teacher, 43, died after being hit by a semi-trailer on the Pacific Highway near Tweed Heads in February last year, about three weeks after flying home from a trip to Peru.
Before being run over, he was allegedly tied to a chair and bashed with a golf club at a Cudgera Creek farmhouse he had allegedly wandered into in a disoriented state.
Court documents allege that before the tragedy, he was on a flight from Sydney to Brisbane talking to himself, chanting, praying and yelling obscenities.
His silver BMW, which had earlier been clocked speeding south, was found abandoned on the highway before he arrived at the farmhouse where he was allegedly held captive.
The farmhouse owners, Mark Frost and Lauren Grainger and their friend Craig Button, are fighting charges of detaining and assaulting Mr Stott to obtain advantage.
They have not been charged with causing his death.
Last May, Tweed Heads Local Court imposed tough restrictions on reporting details of the case, including suppressing the names of the accused.
But the court on Friday lifted the order after a successful media challenge.
New orders were issued preventing publication of details about the school where Mr Stott worked, interactions he had with his family, the injuries he suffered or photos of him taken in the 24 hours before or after his death.
Media outlets have also been ordered not to report information which may identify one witness, whose name can only be published as a pseudonym.
The case will return to court in March.
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