The Snitch: Israel Folau finds that free speech has its price

Israel Folau has collected almost $600,000 on his GoFundMe page for his legal fight with Rugby Australia … but not all of the donations have been made in good faith.

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Got a fiver burning a hole in your pocket? A few footy fans invested their spare change in free speech on Israel Folau’s GoFundMe page — just not the way Israel was intending.

A screengrab from a YouTube video where Israel Folau asks for donations to fund his legal fees.

The ousted rugby union player, who is now claiming he was sacked from the Wallabies for being a Christian (actually it was for refusing to delete an Instagram post telling gays they would go to hell), is asking fans to donate $3 million to help pay for his legal action against Rugby Australia.

We got a chuckle out of a few who donated the minimum $5 in the names: “Youare A C...”, “You R Ac...”, “You’re a piece of s...” and “Israel is in the Closet’’.

You did say you believed in free expression, Izzy.

ULTIMATE FIGHTING COPS

They just went to grab some lunch — but on Tuesday afternoon two NSW detectives found themselves in a UFC-style wrestling match with a knife-wielding man.

Detective Chief Inspector Peter Yeomans and Detective Sergeant Jay Locke were at a shopping mall cafe at The Entrance when they heard reports a man had been walking around the precinct armed with two knives and a table leg.

Unbeknown to the two officers, local police had received reports about an armed man threatening people in East Gosford and a nearby street.

Detective Chief Inspector Peter Yeomans.

Detective Chief Inspector Peter Yeomans.

Yeomans, of the Child Abuse Squad, and Locke approached the man just as a public bus pulled up.

“Our fear was he was going to get on that bus where there was a lot of people on board,” Yeomans explained. “We couldn’t let that happen.”

With guns drawn, the pair ordered the man to drop the weapons. He complied but allegedly let loose when Yeomans put his gun back in his holster.

Yeomans, a 39-year veteran of the force, and the man ended up wrestling on the footpath. The man was allegedly trying to grab a third knife out of the front of his pants during the struggle. It was a close call for the officers, whose colleague Detective Sergeant John Breda was stabbed during an arrest in Maroubra in 2018. Dylan Pritchard, 25, was charged with several offences and refused bail. Yeomans and Locke got on with their day.

METOO, SHE WROTE

A tiny playhouse in Darlinghurst has been teeming with QCs, SCs, judges and every lawyer in between to watch much raved-about play Prima Facie.

The one-actress show is the brainchild of playwright Suzie Miller, a former defence lawyer who is married to Supreme Court Justice Robert Beech-Jones. The story follows the life of a female barrister.

Playwright Suzie Miller’s latest production has the legal fraternity talking.

On Thursday night alone, the audience included Labor MP Tanya Plibersek, Justices Lucy McCallum and Jacqueline Gleeson, Jane Matthews SC, the first female judge appointed in NSW, and at least 10 female silks.

Why so popular?

“On one level barristers and lawyers are always interested in talking about themselves and the play is something we relate to,” Kate Eastman SC said.

“We have had to ask these questions of our profession with (the #metoo movement) recently.

“While this play is really about criminal law and sexual assault, it equally could speak to sexual harassment and the metoo movement.”

The show is sold out at Griffin Theatre but is now off to Canberra, then Parramatta.

GLEAMING COPPERS

Two widely admired senior police have been elevated to Assistant Commissioners.

Detective Superintendent Michael “Fitzy” Fitzgerald, former Kings Cross and Sydney City boss, will head the Forensic Services Group.

And, as earlier predicted by Snitch, Superintendent Leanne McCusker will take over Human Resources Command.

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