The Snitch: Mystery surrounds benefactor who stumped up $300k for Eddie Hayson’s surety

Who is the wealthy benefactor who stumped up half of Eddie Hayson’s $600,000 surety, why did Ayman Manly have to go to court for a haircut, and what did a well known solicitor leave behind when in a hurry? The Snitch is here.

Eddie Hayson arriving at Sydney domestic airport from the Gold Coast after being arrested for drug importation. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

What does an alleged killer have to do to get a haircut around here? Go to the Supreme Court, apparently.

Accused love triangle murderer Ayman Manly found himself in just that predicament after realising his bail conditions were so strict he couldn’t get his hair trimmed.

Police arresting Ayman Manly in 2023. Picture: Max Mason-Hubers

With his locks growing more unruly by the day, Manly fronted the state’s second highest court this week, asking for a change to his bail.

Justice Richard Weinstein drew the line at letting Manly leave home to attend a barber, but did agree that one could come to him, once a month.

Eddie’s mystery man

Sydney’s favourite former brothel owner turned professional punter, Eddie Hayson, got the green light to get out of prison greens and back into civvies after being granted bail by the Supreme Court this week on drug trafficking charges.

Much of his case is shrouded in secrecy (we’ll leave our thoughts on that for another day), but nothing more so than the identity of Hayson’s wealthy benefactor, who agreed to stump up half of his $600,000 surety.

It seems the mystery man was content to part with his cash, but drew the line at having his name revealed in open court, given Snitch’s keen interest in the case.

When pressed for at least some bona fides, barrister Ian Lloyd KC told the court the man was an “independent contractor” who held “lots of contracts with government departments”.

He described the pair as “business associates” and said they’d known each other for years. It seems good enough for Justice Hament Dhanji, who approved the surety sum and sent Hayson on his merry way, stringent bail conditions in tow.

No Snitching

If there’s one thing sure to get the legal fraternity talking, it’s news involving one of their own.

So it came as little surprise when Snitch received an influx of messages in the days after revealing the story of the woman who was charged for allegedly sexting a NSW magistrate.

To recap, the woman was accused of bombarding the experienced judicial officer with hundreds of harassing phone calls and text messages, many of which were of a sexual nature and some that included racy pictures of her naked or in lingerie. She also allegedly called him a “sexy beast” and said she thought he was “hot”.

The case was ultimately dismissed under mental health legislation. A non-publication order was put in place protecting the Magistrate’s identity – he’s not accused of any wrongdoing in any event – but that didn’t stop those nosy lawyers from asking away.

Unfortunately for them, Snitch is no snitch and our lips remained tightly sealed!

Bereft of evidence

If there’s one thing we’ve learned in our time around courts, it’s the importance of confidentiality.

So it came as rather a surprise when Snitch was told of a recent transgression by a well known solicitor that potentially left their client very exposed.

The lawyer in question had just finished a week-long hearing in a Sydney court when they retired to an interview room for a debrief.

It appears the solicitor was in a hurry to leave – maybe a hobby farm to escape to for the weekend? – but, embarrassingly, forgot to take an essential item with him: the brief of evidence.

Snitch was told an entire folder’s worth of incriminating photographs, witness accounts and police statements was left in the room for days, accessible to anyone who cared to look.

Brenden Hills is on leave