Sir Ron Brierley could face more charges over alleged child porn

Embattled multi-millionaire corporate raider, Sir Ron Brierley faces the prospect of further child pornography charges being laid against him after his shock arrest yesterday.

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Embattled multi-millionaire corporate raider, Sir Ron Brierley faces the prospect of further child pornography charges being laid against him after his shock arrest yesterday.

NSW detectives are pouring through more than 200,00 photo files and nearly 800 ­videos found on computers and   USBs   allegedly belonging to the retired Sydney ­businessman.

Brierley, 82, was yesterday holed up in his harbourside mansion at Point Piper after The Daily Telegraph revealed he had been stopped at Sydney airport on Tuesday morning and charged with six counts of possessing child pornography after a five-month investigation by NSW police.

Multi-millionaire Ron Brierley in his garage at his Point Piper home on Wednesday. Picture: Damian Shaw

It’s alleged they have found photos of young children, ­including one of an underage female which police described as “highly sexualised” on two of his computers and other electronic devices when he was ­arrested. They are now sifting through a further 207,000 picture files and hundreds of videos as part of their ongoing investigation.

Police targeted the former Sydney Cricket Ground Trust board member and high-flying businessman after a phone call to Crime Stoppers in August which gave details of Brierley's alleged activities involving child pornography.

Sir Ron Brierley in 1998.

The multi-millionaire at his home in Sydney on Wednesday. Picture: Damian Shaw

As the investigation progressed NSW police put out an alert, which flagged Brierley as a person of interest in a criminal investigation and ordered he be detained if he was leaving the country.

On Tuesday morning he was booked on a 6.30am flight to Fiji when he was stopped from boarding by Australian Border Force officers until ­detectives from the Eastern Suburbs Beaches Command arrived armed with a search warrant.

They took possession of two laptops and a USB they found in his hand luggage which they allege contained the offending images and charged him with six counts of possessing child pornography.

Businessman Sir Ron Brierley (c) with Dianne Thorpe (l) and Julia Schaeffer at Randwick race meeting. p/

Brierley apparently was calm while being charged and refused to make any formal statement to police but allegedly told detectives that some of the images they found were “interesting” but would not elaborate.

A search warrant was executed at his Wunulla Rd home where another computer and more USBs and electronic storage devices were taken to be forensically examined.

Officers from the specialised Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad are involved in the case.

“Going through those files will take considerable time. Also they have to try to identify the people in the files and if they originated locally or overseas,” a source said.

Ron Brierley.

Brierley was granted police bail on the condition he hand up both his Australian and New Zealand passports and to appear at the Downing Centre for mention on February 10.

He was later spotted wearing tennis shoes, shorts and a T-shirt in the garage of his mansion. He declined to comment when questioned.

A passionate cricket follower, Brierley’s wealth is consistently been valued at over $100 million.

He was knighted in 1988 for his services to business.

He held the largest company in New Zealand by market capitalisation in 1984.

BRIERLEY’S PATH TO THE RICH LIST

COLLEGE YEARS: Sold stamps to students and staff and started horse racing tip sheet.

1956: Published investment analysis newsletter Stocks and Shares.

1961: Launched Brierley Investments Limited in New Zealand.

1984: BIL became the largest company in New Zealand by market capitalisation.

1987: Share market crashed and Brierley was removed from the board shortly after.

1988: Given knighthood for his services to business community.

1990: Became chairman of investment company Guinness Peat Group.

2012: Controlled Mercantile Investments.

2015: Launched takeover of Australian shipping company Richfield International.

2018: Made an unsuccessful bid for Australian businessman Mark Bouris’ Yellow Brick Road.

2019: Sold his stake in Mercantile citing “age and ill health”.

2019: Still one of the largest stamp buyers and sellers in
the world.

Originally published as Sir Ron Brierley could face more charges over alleged child porn