Salt Creek monster Roman Heinze ordered to pay legal costs in property lawsuit against his daughter Kendehl

The Salt Creek monster has had a blow after his pleas to not pay costs for not complying with court rules because he was a poor prisoner were shut down.

Convicted backpacker kidnapper and self described “Salt Creek monster” Roman Heinze has had a blow after he was ordered to pay costs for not complying with court rules.

Heinze’s pleas to exempt him because he was a poor prisoner was shut down by a magistrate after she determined he’d had plenty of chances to comply with the rules.

Last month, Heinze, 68, agreed to withdraw his $65,000 defamation claim against his daughter Kendehl - but insisted his bid to reclaim his personal property should continue.

This week, Andrew Carpenter, for Kendehl, told the Adelaide Magistrates Court Heinze had failed to follow any of the state’s lawsuit rules and his remaining claim should be thrown out.

Mr Carpenter said Heinze had been repeatedly asked to file documents to comply with the rules and had failed to do so.

He said Heinze should pay all of his daughter’s costs for both cases, saying his defamation lawsuit “had no prospect of ever succeeding”.

Roman Heinze has had a final blow after he was ordered to pay costs for a failed lawsuit.

Kendehl Heinze outside Adelaide Magistrates court. Picture: RoyVPhotography

“You have to be of good character to be defamed … he has no reputation to lose,” Mr Carpenter said.

“It was probably the most remote, absurd defamation cases that has ever been lodged in Australia.

“His main gripe about my client’s comments to the paper was that she caused personal injury, harm and threatened his life - those are those three things he’s imprisoned for.

“They don’t even come anywhere close (to defamation), it makes Bruce Lehrmann’s action look strong.”

Heinze, 68, is funding a challenge to his 17-year-prison term with $100,000 obtained by threatening to sue his children over their inheritance.

After prison authorities banned him from sending abusive letters to Kendehl, Heinze filed papers claiming she had defamed him by speaking publicly about his February 2016 crimes.

Heinze, who was representing himself from prison, told the court Kendehl had told a “bunch of lies” when she made comments that he threatened to kill her.

“Because of that, I was threatened and I had altercations in Yatala prison,” he said.

“It put my life in jeopardy in Yatala.”

Heinze also argued he had complied with the lawsuit rules, saying he had sent Kendehl a letter of intent in August 2023 and “forewarned her numerous times” before commencing the proceedings.

He said if Magistrate Maria Panagiotidis ruled that he hadn’t complied, he should be exempt from paying costs as he only made $20 a week working in the prison, of which he used up to $12 on phone calls.

“I haven’t got any money on the outside, everything’s gone,” he said.

In her ruling, Ms Panagiotidis said Heinze failed to serve a pre-action claim on Kendehl before instituting the proceedings and therefore hadn’t complied with the rules.

She said he hadn’t been able to produce the earlier documents he claimed he sent to her, despite being given a number of opportunities to do so.

The case was placed on moratorium, meaning the proceedings stay on foot to give Heinze an opportunity to comply.

Heinze was ordered to pay costs for the property lawsuit due to non compliance - which will be determined at a later date - but not for the defamation case as it was discontinued and no finding was made.

Originally published as Salt Creek monster Roman Heinze ordered to pay legal costs in property lawsuit against his daughter Kendehl