Katoomba circus school: Police state intention to pursue AVOs

Police have told a court they intend to pursue AVOs against four people involved in a circus school in the Blue Mountains who had more than 100 child sex charges against them dropped earlier this year.

Therese Cook.

• Patrick Michael Mills: Convicted murderer to spend more time in jail
• Glenbrook: Police call for witnesses after dog kicked on Grey Street

It’s been three months since the Department of Public Prosecutions dropped more than 100 child sex charges against four people involved with a Katoomba circus school.

Now, the police have told a court they intend to push forward with apprehended violence order proceedings against the four.

Paul Cook.

Therese Cook, Paul Cook, Yyani Cook-Williams, and Clarissa Meredith had 115 charges against them dropped in Penrith Local Court on February 14 this year.

However, in Katoomba Local Court on Monday, a police prosecutor told Magistrate Leanne Robinson that police would be proceeding with apprehended violence orders on behalf of three children.

The dropped charges related to alleged sexual abuse against three young boys between 2014 and 2016.

Police alleged in the proceedings that Therese Cook was the ringleader.

It was alleged by police that she incited her daughters Cook-Williams and Meredith to have sex with the boys while Paul Cook filmed it.

All four entered not guilty pleas to all charges in 2018, and have strongly maintained their innocence since.

A court heard in March, 2019, one of the complainants had allegedly written a note that said “mum I’m really sorry I’ve been lying about the whole thing”.

“That was a note concealed by the mother in this investigation which might change the turn of events in this matter,” the family’s defence lawyer Bryan Wrench said at the time.

Yyani Cook-Williams.

Then in May last year, Mr Wrench claimed a series of new police interviews had severely weakened the case.

Mr Wrench expressed disappointment that the police hadn’t properly advised him of the plans prior to Monday’s brief mention in Katoomba Local Court.

“This is an offence where our clients were charged in February, 2018, more than two years ago,” he said.

“We’ve told the police we want to know whether they would proceed with AVOs, and I’ve only just now received that advice.”

The police prosecutor told the court there was a chance the original charges would be repursued.

Magistrate Robinson adjourned the matter to September 28 after Mr Wrench indicated he would be opposing the AVOs.

Clarissa Meredith.