Judge orders lawyer for convicted people trafficker to fight parole case

A FEDERAL Judge has ordered a convicted Gold Coast hairdresser be appointed a "pro bono'' lawyer to challenge the extension of his parole period.

Judge orders lawyer for hairdresser

A FEDERAL Judge has ordered a convicted Gold Coast hairdresser be appointed a "pro bono'' lawyer to challenge the federal Attorney-General's power to extend his parole period.

Justice John Reeves has questioned whether Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus's delegates have the power to extend someone's parole by months.

"There is public interest in having this issued determined after proper argument, argument presented to the court by both sides,'' Justice John Reeves said on Thursday.

Keith Dobie, 53, was jailed in October 2008 after pleading guilty to offences of trafficking in persons, handling proceeds of crime and presenting false documents.

Brisbane District court was told Dobie lured two Thai women to Australia to work as prostitutes so he could make money to pay off his debts.

He was released on supervised parole after serving 22 months of his sentence, with conditions that meant he has not been allowed to work in his hairdressing business.

Since then delegates of the Attorney-General have informed him an extra 207 days have been added to his parole, which meant his sentence would not end until May next year.

Last month Justice Reeves questioned it, calling for a "contradictor'' from the Attorney-General to appear in court to answer questions about his delegates' powers to extend parole periods.

On Thursday, Justice Reeves decided Dobie also needed to be legally represented before the public interest issues were aired.

"It is incumbent upon him and the department and the Commonwealth to have these issues properly ventilated,'' Justice Reeves said.

Dobie told the court he could not get State or Commonwealth Legal Aid funding.

Justice Reeves made an order for Dobie to obtain pro bono legal advice and representation, because the Commonwealth appeared unwilling to fund a contradictor to argue the issue.

He issued a certificate which would allow the Federal Court registrar to seek a suitable pro bono lawyer for Dobie.

Justice Reeves said the issue needed to be argued before Dobie's five-year sentence expired on October 18.

Dobie said he was on Centrelink benefits and had not been able to work in his Gold Coast hairdressing business since October last year.

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