Jodi Louise Nuske Bistro C fraud trial summary

A former Bistro C employee accused of taking more than $750k from the restaurant will soon learn her fate. Here is what happened in the trial so far.

Elizabeth Neil

@lizneilreports

4 min read

December 17, 2022 - 5:00AM

In Summary: Jodi Louise Nuske (middle) is on trial in the Maroochydore District Court (Court House pictured right) for allegedly taking more than $750,000 from her former workplace, Noosa restaurant Bistro C (pictured left).

Police & Courts

Don't miss out on the headlines from Police & Courts. Followed categories will be added to My News.

Accusations a glamorous Noosaville woman swindled a restaurant on Noosa’s glitter strip out of $750,000 have been aired in court in what has become the Sunshine Coast’s trial of the year.

In the nine days of former Bistro C employee Jodie Louise Nuske’s trial, the Maroochydore District Court has heard of a string of allegations, from tax fraud to cocaine use.

Ms Nuske, 44, has pleaded not guilty to one charge of defrauding her former workplace, Hastings St restaurant Bistro C in Noosa, out of more than $750,000.

The court has been told Ms Nuske was employed as a book keeper and was in charge of the businesses’ finances.

As of Friday, December 16, the jury had heard all evidence and closing statements from the crown prosecutor Alex Stark and Ms Nuske’s defence barrister Scott Casey.

Here is a summary of every moment from the trial so far:

The trial kicked off on Monday, December 5, where Bistro C owner Lorraine Banks gave evidence and told the court she “completely trusted” Ms Nuske and treated her “like a daughter”.

She said that trust was broken when Ms Banks enlisted her bank manager to check her business accounts, to find several transactions to Ms Nuske’s accounts, credit cards as well as personal invoices Ms Banks said she did not authorise.

She told the court when she confronted Ms Nuske with the evidence, she broke down in tears and immediately began apologising.

Jodi Louise Nuske leaves Maroochydore District Court. Pictured: Patrick Woods.

But on Tuesday, December 6, when Ms Banks was being cross-examined by Mr Casey, it was revealed these claims were missing from Ms Banks’ 17-page police statement.

On the third day of the trial, a fourth witness, Ms Nuske’s former assistant, gave evidence and was cross-examined by Mr Casey.

Mr Casey claimed she had done cocaine in front of Ms Nuske outside of work.

Mr Casey linked this to the fact Ms Goodman’s profile photo, shown in a series of text messages between herself and Ms Nuske, was an Eight ball – a symbol associated with the drug.

The witness declined to answer on the grounds of privilege of self incrimination.

On December 8, which marked the fourth day of the trial, forensic accountant Lisa Demartini told the court about the findings of her financial investigation report.

This was in support of the crown’s case, she said, and included an estimate of Bistro C’s cash takings in her summary, where she said the money was believed to have been retained by Ms Nuske without authorisation.

Maroochydore Courthouse. Picture: Patrick Woods.

Ms Demartini was then cross-examined by Mr Casey on December 9, the same day Ms Nuske was called to give evidence herself.

There she accused Ms Banks of committing tax fraud by deliberately taking cash out of the business without documentation, fleeing to Bali to avoid a GST audit and giving extravagant gifts to staff members – including $150,000 for one staff member to buy a house and a BMW convertible to another.

She told the court the various transactions Ms Demartini had found in her investigation were authorised during a conversation in early-2015 about how Ms Nuske had not had maternity leave or long service leave, despite working for the business for nearly two decades and having two children.

Ms Nuske was cross-examined by crown prosecutor Alex Stark on December 13, the sixth day of the trial, where she rejected claims from Mr Stark she was “lying through her teeth” and “playing the victim”.

Mr Stark’s cross-examination continued into the next day on December 14, where tensions between himself and Ms Nuske were high.

Bistro C restaurant, Noosa Heads. The restaurant over looks Noosa's Main Beach.

The pair was seen talking over each other before Judge Gary Long intervened.

Mr Stark circled back to evidence Ms Nuske previously gave about cash bonuses, which she said were kept in her husband’s gun safe.

Cash payments from her husband’s work as a builder as well as money from selling items such as a tinnie were also in the safe, Ms Nuske said, and sometimes the money would not be deposited into a bank account right away.

Thursday, December 15, marked the eighth day of the trial, which finally appeared to be nearing its end after the final witness, Ms Banks’ solicitor Virgil Power, was called and Mr Casey gave his closing statements to the jury.

During his remarks, Mr Casey said five of the witnesses – Lorraine Banks, her daughter Hayley Banks, Ms Nuske’s former assistant Ashleigh Goodman, staff member Deb Scotney and Lorraine Banks’ accountant Paulette Clarke – had “thrown (Ms Nuske) under the bus” because she “knew too much” about Bistro C committing tax fraud.

Mr Stark hit back at this accusation on December 16 during his own closing statement, and claimed the situation was the other way around.