Matthew Perrin fraud trial: Ex-wife says ‘the only way I’m going to get peace is with him in jail’
THE embittered ex-wife of a failed corporate whiz-kid said she won’t be at “peace” until the father of her three children is behind bars, a court has heard.
Crime & Justice
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THE embittered ex-wife of failed corporate whiz-kid Matthew Perrin said she won’t be at “peace” until the father of her three children is behind bars, a court has heard.
In the District Court yesterday, a long-time friend of Perrin and the Bricknell family, Gold Coast property developer Karl Rameau said Nicole Bricknell told him: “The only way I’m going to get peace is with him in jail”.
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In earlier evidence Perrin’s barrister Andrew Hoare accused Ms Bricknell of making “threats” to “sort” Perrin “out” if he fought her for a greater slice of what was left of the family’s fortune in 2012.
Ms Bricknell went to police and agreed to turn star prosecution witness against her husband in 2012, the court was told.
Mr Rameau said he witnessed Perrin’s worry over a China deal.
“He was the $100 million man and everybody held him in such regard, it was just stunning that someone with that much money could be under so much stress,” he said.
Perrin told the court he was “shell-shocked” by Ms Bricknell on January 20, 2009 when she made a desperate grab for the $10 million cash remaining.
“Nicole advised me she had been to the bank and taken $10.6 million out of (the joint) account,” Perrin said.
“It was like a punch in the guts. We obviously needed (that) money to finish the (China) transaction and then get back $50 million bucks out of China.”
But Perrin said he didn’t have time to question his wife further because his two brothers and business associates arrived at his Gold Coast home for a family crisis meeting.
Perrin also denied penning a sensational six-page “confession letter” in which he allegedly admits to committing fraud and forgery.
Perrin continues his cross examination today.
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