Vineyard, pub and bakery owner Joe Prendergast on rape charges

The co-owner of Dusty Hill Vineyard, Goomeri Bakery and Joe’s Grand Hotel is charged with 11 counts of rape, and five other sexual offences.

Joe Prendergast has been charged with 11 counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault, two counts of indecent treatment of a child under 16 and one count of attempted indecent treatment of a child under the age of 16, laid over alleged offending against two women across a six-year-period.

South Burnett businessman Joe Prendergast can be revealed as facing more than a dozen sexual offence charges allegedly committed against a woman and a girl over a six-year period.

Mr Prendergast did not appear in person at Murgon Magistrates Court when his matter was heard on Tuesday, October 3.

Mr Prendergast is the co-owner of the upscale Dusty Hill Vineyard in the South Burnett, as well as the Goomeri bakery and hotel.

Police prosecutor Barry Stevens told the court Mr Prendergast’s matter was a “big file” that had now been completed and would be in the hands of his lawyer, Patrick Quinn, “within the next couple of days”.

“I assume he will want to spend some time to review (it)”, Sergeant Stevens said.

The matter was adjourned until November 28.

Mr Prendergast was charged in June with multiple sexual offences following investigations by Murgon Police.

He can now be named due to changes in Queensland law which went into effect on Tuesday.

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Joe Prendergast’s matter was adjourned until November 28, 2023 to allow for his lawyer to review the file provided by police.

The offences are alleged to have been committed against two women.

The first, a woman in her 30s, was allegedly sexually assaulted between September 2017 and January 2020.

The second complainant, a girl in her teens, was allegedly sexually assaulted and inappropriately touched between December 25, 2022, and February 26, 2023.

Mr Prendergast has been charged with 11 counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault, two counts of indecent treatment of a child under 16 and one count of attempted indecent treatment of a child under the age of 16.

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