Madam who supplied Craig Thomson with escorts is happy with the guilty verdict

THE brothel owner who supplied Craig Thomson with escorts says she is delighted that he’s been found guilty on all charges.

THE brothel owner who supplied disgraced former MP Craig Thomson with escorts says she is delighted that the former Federal member for Dobell has been found guilty of using his union credit card to pay for sex.

“I always knew he was guilty because the system we had operating was that the client had to show their ID,” said Diane Barker, who was running CBD Escorts and Blonde Bombshells escort agency.

She gave evidence at Thomson’s trial that he had called from room 821 at the Radisson Plaza in Sydney and booked an escort called Tracie for a one-hour, $240 sex session. “He would call from the hotel and we would ring back on a separate line and ask to be put through to his room to verify Thomson was his real name,” she said.

News_Image_File: Craig Thomson leaving court in Melbourne yesterday.Thomson is facing a maximum penalty of five years jail after a Melbourne magistrate found him guilty of using his union credit card to pay for prostitutes and travel expenses for his wife when he was the Health Services Union’s national secretary. The former Labor MP used parliamentary privilege to vehemently and tearfully deny the charges.

That move has spurred leader of government business Christopher Pyne to urge Labor to support a move to get the powerful privileges committee to investigate whether Thomson deliberately lied to parliament in doing so.

The court heard how Thomson used his union credit card to pay almost $6000 for prostitutes and $418 for the Red Turbo Spa Room at Tiffany’s Girls brothel in Sydney.

Yesterday Ms Barker said Thomson had made a number of bookings through her agency, including one where he initially claimed his name was Jeff Thomson, and paid with his union credit card.

“It was disgusting to see that man on television blatantly lying and saying he was innocent,” she said.

“The amount of public time and money he has wasted is a disgrace. I am glad he has been found guilty.

“It is ironic that we in the adult industry are being open and honest while a public figure is lying.”

If Thomson was found in contempt of parliament for his denial in Canberra, the House of Representatives has powers to punish him with possible penalties including a fine of up to $5000, up to six months in jail, or a reprimand.

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FROM YESTERDAY:

HSU WANTS $400,000 MORE FROM FRAUDSTER THOMSON

Matthew Benns and Shannon Deery

THE battles are not over for disgraced former MP Craig Thomson with officials from the union he defrauded vowing to try and recover almost $400,000 from him through the courts.

Thomson was found guilty in the Melbourne Magistrates Court yesterday of a string of fraud charges including using his Health Services Union (HSU) credit card to pay for prostitutes while he was national secretary.

Magistrate Charlie Rozencwajg said it was an “affront to common sense” that payments to escorts could ever be considered a legitimate expense.

CRAIG THOMSON’S WIFE STANDING BY HER MAN

UNION OFFICIAL BOLANO FEELS VINDICATED

MIRANDA DEVINE: THOMSON CHARADE IS OVER

News_Image_File: Craig Thomson leaving the Magistrates Court, Melbourne.

He said Thomson, 49, passing off a $770 receipt for sex with a prostitute called Alina as a “dinner function” was a clear example of his dishonesty.

The one-time rising star of the Labor Party slumped in his chair as the magistrate found him guilty of six charges of obtaining financial advantage by deception for paying almost $6000 for escorts. He was also found guilty of 16 charges of theft for cash withdrawals totalling $6250 and for using the card to pay for cigarettes and travel expenses for his then wife Christa. Other charges including paying for pornographic movies in hotel rooms were dismissed.

Thomson had pleaded not guilty to 145 charges of theft and deception totalling $28,449 relating to the misuse of his union credit card between 2002 and 2008. He faces up to five years in jail.

“The union will now seek restitution to recover some or all of the funds he has stolen from the union,” Chris Brown, the HSU’s acting national secretary said. “These civil proceedings run to around $400,000 and include cash withdrawals, personal expenditure and more than $100,000 Thomson used in his election campaign.”

Three-times married Thomson was elected to the Central Coast seat of Dobell in 2007.

The allegations of credit card misuse against Thomson had been common knowledge before the Labor Party pre-selected him.

By 2010, the claims against Thomson were even louder but his support had become critical in keeping the Julia Gillard-led minority government in power.

He moved to the cross benches as the criminal charges were levelled against him and used his time in Parliament to launch a tear-stained defence, claiming union official Marco Bolano had hatched a plot to “set me up with a bunch of hookers’’ .

Yesterday members of Mr Bolano’s family shouted “liar” as Thomson left the court on bail to await sentencing submissions on March 18.

In 2011 leading Labor figures defended Thomson with current Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, former prime minister Julia Gillard and transport spokesman Anthony Albanese all expressing full confidence in him.

But during the three week trial the court heard from more than 80 witnesses how Thomson had splashed around funds from a union representing some of the poorest workers in Australia.

The director of escort service Tiffany’s Girls said Thomson used his union credit card to pay $418 for the Red Turbo Spa Room at the Sydney brothel.

One escort, who gave her name as Misty, said Thomson was one of her regular clients when she worked for Escort Room Room Services escort agency in Surry Hills between 2007 and 2008.

He had introduced himself as Craig and offered her a glass of champagne before showering and having sex on the bed. After they were done, he would pay for more time so he could talk with her. He became a regular client.

“I have since seen him on TV and in the media deny that he used the services of prostitutes,” she said in her statement.

“He is lying and I am in no doubt that the Craig I performed a number of sexual services for over a period of time is Craig Thomson, the politician. “Thomson’s lawyers did not deny that he had used his union credit card to visit prostitutes but argued he had the authority to use it for personal expenditure. Because the expenses had been cleared and paid there was no dishonesty.

Yesterday Employment Minister Eric Abetz said Thomson should apologise to union members and for misleading parliament.

He also called for Mr Shorten to apologise on behalf of the Labor Party, “for its role in promoting and protecting Craig Thomson for so many years”.

Mr Shorten avoided answering questions about whether the judgment will tarnish Labor’s reputation.

The Coalition claims the verdict proves the need for a royal commission into union corruption.