Criminal court hearing for Tasmanian judge Gregory Geason begins, with certain evidence suppressed

UPDATED: “His anger wasn’t always verbal, his anger was menacing in its physicality.” A high-profile domestic abuse court case against a Tasmanian judge has begun.

Justice Gregory Geason leaves court on Monday 15th June 2024. Picture: Linda Higginson.

A slew of abusive actions allegedly dished out by Tasmanian judge Gregory Geason onto a former partner have now been aired in court, with the woman breaking down in tears while giving evidence.

The woman spoke from a remote witness room on Monday, the first day of Justice Geason’s contested hearing in the Hobart Magistrates Court, which is expected to last at least a week.

Victorian Deputy Chief Magistrate Susan Wakeling has been appointed to preside over the case, after it was found that all Tasmanian magistrates could not.

Melbourne-based Crown prosecutor Neill Hutton and Perth-based silk Tom Percy KC, appearing for Justice Geason, are also acting in the high-profile case.

Justice Geason has pleaded not guilty to common assault, and emotional abuse or intimidation against a woman, over the course of nine months in 2023.

Before evidence was led, a gag order was made suppressing certain evidence from reaching the public by way of media publication.

The Mercury is unable to further elaborate.

In his opening address, Mr Hutton told the court it was alleged Justice Geason would get “nasty” when drunk, and verbally abuse the woman - name-calling, telling her she was a “slut”, and that her CV was “shit”.

Gregory Geason. Picture: Chris Kidd

He said the woman said Justice Geason would refer to another woman as “pineapple tits” and that he told her: “do you know how lucky you are to be loved by someone as intelligent as me?”

She claimed Justice Geason would become angry if she didn’t respond to his texts with love heart emojis, and that she “caved” and agreed for him to merge their phone accounts.

The woman said he exploded in anger once when she made his porridge the wrong way, that he tracked her movements using technology, including via Apple headphones he’d given her, and that he observed her in his home using a security camera.

Mr Hutton said the woman and Justice Geason were planning on buying a home together in Hobart, and that he demanded she contribute $300,000.

The woman said she asked for full disclosure on Justice Geason’s financial position, but that he initially refused before handing over heavily redacted documents showing significant credit card debts.

According to redacted particulars previously released by the court, the common assault allegedly occurred in October last year, when Justice Geason allegedly grabbed the woman by the arms and squeezing and shaking her, striking her chest with his hand.

Mr Hutton said Justice Geason later told police the woman’s bruises had “nothing to do with me”.

Mr Hutton said when Justice Geason’s phone and iPad were seized, it was found he had been searching terms including: “help me I’m abusive” “best songs to say sorry” and “assault charges in Tasmania”.

Mr Percy said any allegations described as having a “sinister context” in fact had an “entirely innocent explanation”.

He said no common assault occurred, but that the woman had bumped her head on the mantelpiece as the result of “misadventure”, and that she had limited recollection of what had happened as a result of concussion.

Mr Percy said the pair was in a loving relationship and that they had mutually agreed to merge devices “because it made sense”.

“Any suggestion it was done to invade her privacy or exert some control over her is simply misconceived,” he said.

The woman told the court that Justice Geason would sometimes “flip” after drinking too much white wine - changing from professing his love and suggesting marriage, to verbally abusing her and calling her a “slut”, sometimes for hours on end.

“It was like a character change, he would become very hateful and spiteful towards me and call me a slut and tell me I wasn’t worth anything,” she said.

“His anger wasn’t always verbal, his anger was menacing in its physicality.”

She said she first noticed the behaviour when the pair was on holiday in Croatia.

“He kept saying what a slut I was and that I was no good and that I would never amount to anything and that I hadn’t paid for anything and that I was a bad person,” she said.

“Greg was so drunk he could barely walk and I helped him get back up the stairs to where we were staying.”

The hearing continues Tuesday.

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Originally published as Criminal court hearing for Tasmanian judge Gregory Geason begins, with certain evidence suppressed