Brisbane academic accused of stalking two women

A retired senior academic who worked at two prominent Brisbane universities has been denied bail over allegations he stalked his ex-girlfriend and a stranger.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The stalking charges Dr Trout faced were withdrawn and he was discharged.

A retired senior academic from the University of Queensland and Griffith University accused of coercive and controlling behaviour in stalking his ex-girlfriend and another woman, is such a risk to their safety, that he will remain behind bars, a Magistrate has ruled.

Graham Ross Trout, 69, a father of three from Camp Hill, who was a senior research fellow at the University of Queensland until three years ago, appeared in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Saturday where he applied for bail on stalking and two other charges.

Trout, who also previously worked for the CSIRO and the Victoria University of Technology, is accused of unlawfully stalking his ex-girlfriend over five months from July 17, 2020, to December 23, 2020, after a brief relationship, and sitting in his car and photographing another woman, with whom he had no relationship.

Magistrate Bradford-Morgan noted the three charges Trout was before the court for represented “a dramatic escalation of offending”.

She said during the hearing that coercive and controlling behaviour such as stalking is considered a precursor to lethal violence, according to domestic violence researchers.

“People most likely to escalate (their behaviour) in a terrifying and often fatal way demonstrate... coercive and controlling behaviour,” Magistrate Bradford-Morgan said during the hearing.

Trout, who uses a walking stick, is also accused of approaching his ex-girlfriend at a petrol station when she had requested no contact, sending her a text message asking her if she was okay from a mobile phone he registered under another person’s name, and creating a Facebook account under a false name to ‘like’ her professional Facebook page, make a comment and add a picture.

Magistrate Linda Bradford-Morgan ruled he should remain in custody until his next appearance in court on May 17 because strict bail conditions could not reduce the risk that Trout may endanger the safety and welfare of the two women or reoffend.

Trout’s ex-girlfriend was “so fearful of what will happen next” that she has moved home, Magistrate Bradford-Morgan noted during today’s hearing.

The woman feels so unsafe at her home that she put her unit up for sale late last year, the court heard.

But Trout is alleged to have continued his intrusive behaviour in trying to find out about her efforts to relocate by repeatedly contacted the sales agent requesting a contract to purchase the unit between Christmas and January 13.

When Trout was told the unit was sold he is alleged to have “pushed further” probing why there was no sold sign on the unit.

Police also allege that the victim believes that each week since August last year Trout has been putting a “distinctive box” in her garbage bin, after it has been emptied.

He is alleged to have previously commented on this box in her home.

However Trout’s lawyer submitted the arresting officer had conceded they had no evidence linking Trout to the box.

Police allege Trout made inquiries to find the adult daughter of a woman he was in a brief relationship with and then approached her, purportedly wanting to arrange cello lessons for his grandchild.

The daughter became suspicious about Trout and reported him to police.

Trout’s ex-girlfriend was concerned because she never introduced her daughter to Trout during their relationship.

Trout is alleged to have stalked a second woman between June 17, 2020 and February 24 this year, including taking photographs of her with his mobile phone from across the street of her home.

She tried to take a photograph of him at her home, but he allegedly covered his face with a newspaper and drove off.

She also alleged that he frequently parked his white Isuzu wagon near her home in Brisbane’s northern suburbs and “watched” her.

Trout is alleged to have approached her when she was walking to a playground with her granddaughter on July 7 last year and engaged her in a conversation about how he had been stalked by his ex-girlfriend.

The woman told police that Trout’s behaviour made her feel sick, depressed and anxious and forced her to change her routine and to stop taking her grandchildren to the park.

Trout’s lawyer unsuccessfully argued that Trout could be freed on bail with strict reporting conditions because his behaviour was “not the most serious example of stalking”.

Trout is due back in court on May 17.

Originally published as Brisbane academic accused of stalking two women