Rich lister’s ex, veteran in ‘disturbing’ kidnap plot

THE ex wife of a BRW rich lister will remain behind bars after being accused of a “bizarre” and violent alleged kidnapping of her own mother in Sydney’s north.

Hedge Fund manager Phil Matthews has previously been named on the BRW rich list.

THE ex wife of a BRW rich lister will remain behind bars after being accused of a “bizarre” and violent alleged kidnapping of her own mother in Sydney’s north.

Naremburn woman Lauren Pollack, 37, wept at Hornsby Local Court as she was refused bail for allegedly assaulting her 68-year-old mother Royalene, tying her up and taking her against her will at 3am on Sunday.

The court heard Pollack was the ex wife of hedge fund manager Philip Scott Mathews, who has previously been named on the BRW rich list. The pair’s marriage broke down in 2014.

It is alleged Ms Pollack convinced her “friend” war veteran Daniel Mark Cupples, 39, to help with the alleged kidnapping, which was labelled as “very disturbing” and “somewhat bizarre” by magistrate Daniel Reiss.

Daniel Cupples is accused of being involved in the alleged attempted kidnap.

Police will allege the elderly woman was dragged from her bedroom, where blood was found, and driven to Pollack’s Naremburn address before then being taken to Pollack’s ex husband’s home in Mosman.

Pollack’s mother Royalene was then told to go inside.

The 68-year-old asked her former son-in-law to contact police, before she was taken to Royal North Shore hospital with cuts to her face and body, along with a suspected fractured rib.

Police say Pollack and Cupples left the scene but were later arrested in Naremburn following an investigation.

They were charged with take and detain for advantage and cause grievous bodily harm.

In arguing against Pollack’s bail application, Prosecutor Sergeant Jacob Roussos told the court that a “level of planning” had gone into the kidnapping.

He said there was duct tape found at the Cherrbyrook address and cable ties at Pollack’s Narremburn address, along with gloves and some of the victim’s clothes.

“The accused was the driving force behind this offending,” he said.

He said her “pattern of wild offending” appeared to be drug related, something which was strongly denied by her barrister James Leaver as “just speculation”.

Mr Leaver said Pollack, who had studied a Masters in Communication had been hardly able to pay her rent and had a history of depression and anxiety as a result of her relationship to Mr Mathews.

Magistrate Reiss denied her bail application after police argued she was at risk of failing to appear in court and endangering her alleged victim.

Cupples, who the court heard was on a veteran’s pension and had served in East Timor and Afghanistan, was granted bail on several conditions.

They included that he report to police three times a week from his Manilla address and that he surrender his passport.

Both are scheduled to next appear in Downing Centre Local Court on March 6.