Police search James Ashby’s home

UPDATE: Federal police are searching the Queensland home of former political staffer James Ashby on a warrant relating to work diaries of his one-time boss Peter Slipper.

James Ashby leaves The Federal Court in Sydney. Today he attended judgement in the (leave to) appeal of his case against his former employer Peter Slipper.

FEDERAL police are searching the Queensland home of former political staffer James Ashby.

Mr Ashby has been in the media spotlight since making sexual harassment allegations in 2012 against his then-boss and former Speaker Peter Slipper, which were thrown out of court.

Channel 7 News has captured footage of police searching the Beerwah home of Mr Ashby in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland.

The AFP are reportedly searching for anything relating to the Liberal National Party, Mr Slipper, Mal Brough, Christopher Pyne and Wyatt Roy.

Federal police are examining documents belonging to James Ashby @WINNews_SCoast #auspol pic.twitter.com/gQiK8yOFlJ

— Jordan Koster (@KosterJordan) November 17, 2015

When asked about the search at Mr Ashby’s home, an AFP spokesman said:

“The AFP can confirm search warrants were executed at residences on the Sunshine Coast today (Tuesday 17 November 2015).

“As these warrants relate to an ongoing investigation, it is not appropriate to comment further.”

Mr Ashby told the ABC police were looking for phone records, notes, travel records, receipts and spreadsheets relating to Mr Slipper and correspondence with federal minister Mr Pyne and local MPs Mr Roy and Mr Brough.

The federal police warrant relates to the work diaries of Mr Ashby’s former boss Peter Slipper which Mr Ashby accessed as part of his sexual harassment case.

Police are looking for any evidence Mr Ashby accessed the diaries without authorisation and provided those extracts to third parties.

The warrant also refers to Federal MP Mal Brough and any evidence he “counselled and procured” Mr Ashby to access restricted data, namely Mr Slipper’s official diary.

Police are also looking for any material that may indicate former News Limited reporter Steve Lewis offered Mr Ashby accommodation and flights to Sydney to disclose the diaries.

The police have been searching Mr Ashby’s shed on his parents’ Beerwah property on the Sunshine Coast for several hours this morning.

They are searching phones, computers and devices for diary records, photos, correspondence, notes, telecommunication records, accommodation records, postal documents, receipts and spreadsheets.

He said he had nothing to hide and all the information he held had already been before the courts.

Mr Ashby confirmed he had copied three years’ worth of Mr Slipper’s work diary but had not been instructed to by Mal Brough.

“This has been going on a long time,” he said.

“I was hoping it was all behind me.”

Mr Ashby has defended Mr Brough saying the Sunshine Coast MP “never prodcured me to get those diaries”.

“I had copies of the diaries and I volunteered those diaries to Mal Brough. I want to make that really clear.

“I don’t know whether Mal has confused that in the past. I don’t know, I don’t communicate with Mal Brough.

“The point of the matter is Mal Brough has never done anything wrong in this case bar assist someone in need.”

Mr Ashby said the raid was a “fishing exercise” that would not find anything nor produce any charges.

He said nine police were going through his stuff and it was causing distress to his family.

“I’m gobsmacked, my whole family are. My family are upset, my mum in particular and I’m upset too.

“This has been going on for three years.

“I encourage the federal police, I have given them free reign today.

“But there is nothing, there is nothing they will find here that has not already been canvassed in my sexual harassment case.

“I encourage them to do whatever they need to today to get this over and done with. I don’t believe charges will follow.

“I believe this is just a fishing exercise that will bring up nothing.”

Federal police at the Ashby property.

Mr Ashby said police would not find anything of interest.

He was talking to media as Federal police combed the property looking for any evidence that he procured Peter Slipper’s diaries with the involvement of Mal Brough and former News Limited journalist Steve Lewis.

Australian Federal Police have executed a search warrant at James Ashby's parents home. Details on @WINNews_SCoast pic.twitter.com/yGm9niatID

— Jordan Koster (@KosterJordan) November 16, 2015

Mr Ashby was more recently in the news when he scored a job as Pauline Hanson’s pilot earlier this year.

The former media adviser spoke in July about his new gig ferrying the former One Nation leader to Reclaim Australia rallies and other political events, saying he had been drawn to the former politician after she missed out on securing a seat at the January state election.

The LNP executive were today unaware of the raids, learning of the action from the media.