The Snitch: Jarryd Hayne to switch solicitors ahead of third sexual assault trial

Jarryd Hayne is set to make a major change to his legal team ahead of the third instalment of his rape trial, the Snitch can reveal.

We’re hearing ex-NRL star Jarryd Hayne is in the last stages of finalising his legal team for the third run of his sexual assault trial.

In March, we revealed that Hayne selected high-profile barrister Margaret Cunneen SC to act as his barrister in the trial after using Phillip Boulten SC and Richard Pontello SC in the first two runs of the trial.

Jarryd Hayne is finalising his legal team. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Dylan Coker

Now the question is to be decided as to who will act in the role of solicitor.

Hayne has long retained the services of solicitor Ramy Qutami. But we’re hearing Mr Qutami, who does both civil and crime cases, is unlikely to run the matter and Hayne is now seeking a dedicated crime solicitor.

Seems an odd choice to us given that Mr Qutami acted in the recent trial where one-time rising NRL prospect Tristan Sailor, the son of NRL great Wendell Sailor, was found not guilty last month of sexually assaulting a woman after a night of partying in 2020.

Peace between warring Ibrahim siblings?

Just in time for Mother’s Day, two allegedly warring members of the well-known Ibrahim family can now legally reunite – well, at least to a certain extent.

On Tuesday, an apprehended violence order police taken out against Michael Ibrahim to protect his older sister Armani Stelio, was withdrawn in Goulburn Local Court.

Any reunion between the two younger siblings of Kings Cross identity John Ibrahim will have to be arranged around the fact that Michael is serving a maximum 30-year jail sentence for attempting to smuggle almost two tonnes of drugs into Australia.

Police took out the AVO during an incident on October 25, 2020, where investigators allege Michael threatened to kill his sister, who was previously known as Fifi Ibrahim before changing her name, during a call he had with her from a prison phone.

Police alleged Michael said: “I’m going to f**king kill you and your stupid kids, you f**king c**t.”

Strike Force Raptor officers charged Michael with using a carriage service to menace, harass or offend.

Michael pleaded not guilty to the charge and last December. Magistrate Geraldine Beattie confirmed the case would proceed to trial in Goulburn District Court later this year.

So does this mean the siblings are now on peaceful terms?

The Ibrahim family are well-known for having explosive blow-ups, which often end in peace agreements being brokered.

So we won’t be surprised if that is the case here.

INXS star to appeal court decision after losing finger

NXS guitarist Tim Farriss has launched an appeal after losing his bid to be paid $1.2 million in damages over a boating accident that forced him to retire from the world-famous rock band.

In January, the NSW Supreme Court rejected Farriss’ legal bid in the NSW Supreme Court over a 2015 incident where his left ring finger was severed and his hand badly injured when it got caught in a chain while he was trying to set anchor in Akuna Bay in Sydney’s north.

The 64-year-old sued the owners of the boat, known as Omega, claiming they were negligent by not maintaining the boat and that they failed to warn him of the risk or properly instruct him.

Justice Richard Cavanagh found in favour of the motor cruiser’s owners, John William Axford and Jill Mary Axford, and the agent who hired it out.

The NSW Supreme Court judge rejected Farriss’ submission that the owners failed to exercise reasonable care.

INXS guitarist Tim Farriss’ left ring finger was severed in an incident in 2015.

In an added sting, the judge ordered the guitarist to pay the bill for their legal team.

Snitch has been told that Farriss has lodged a notice of intention to appeal the decision.

The matter will now be heard by the NSW Court of Appeal and the case is listed to be mentioned on May 25.

At the band’s peak, Farriss stood on stage alongside the band’s frontman, Michael Hutchence, where the band played hits like By My Side in front of more than 74,000 people at London’s Wembley Stadium in 1991.

During the case, Farriss also sued for future loss of income, on the basis that INXS may potentially have been able to reform and tour.

What a McIdiot

From the files of “I’m never drinking again”, we bring you the cautionary tale of Jannali man Michael Ring who made a Junior Burger move while on the booze.

Snitch was in attendance at Sutherland Local Court on March 17 when Ring pleaded guilty and was sentenced for assaulting a McDonald’s drive-through worker just after 2.30am on March 6.

The cause of the dispute? Ring tried to order while walking through the drive-through and the attendant refused to serve him because he wasn’t in a car.

The court heard Ring grabbed the attendant by the jumper, tried to climb through the drive-through window and asked if he “wants to go”.

The petrified attendant thought he was going to be punched but slipped Ring’s grasp before police arrived and charged the carpenter with common assault and stalking with intent to
cause fear.

Ring was sentenced to a two-year conditional release order and ordered to abstain from alcohol for two years.

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