Jodi Louise Nuske accused of throwing Bistro C associates ‘under the bus’

The prosecution in the trial of a Noosaville woman accused of swindling $768,000 from a ritzy Noosa restaurant has hit back at scathing claims earlier shared in court.

Jodi Louise Nuske leaves Maroochydore District Court. Pictured: Patrick Woods.

Crown prosecutor Alex Stark has hit back at scathing accusations from the defence barristers representing a woman on trial for allegedly swindling more than $750,000 from Hastings St restaurant, Bistro C.

It comes as the trial for Noosaville woman Jodi Louise Nuske, 44, reached its ninth day on Friday.

Ms Nuske has pleaded not guilty to one charge of defrauding her former workplace out of more than $688,000 by transferring money out of business accounts without authority.

On December 16, crown prosecutor Alex Stark gave his closing statements to the jury, where he began by addressing scathing claims defence barrister Scott Casey made towards five of the witnesses on December 15.

Mr Casey had accused Bistro C owner Lorraine Banks, Ms Banks’ daughter Hayley Banks, Ms Nuske’s former assistant Ashleigh Goodman, Bistro C employee Deb Scotney and Ms (Lorraine) Banks’ accountant Paulette Clarke of deliberately “throwing (Ms Nuske) under the bus” because she “knew too much” about Ms Banks allegedly committing tax fraud.

Jodi Louise Nuske leaves Maroochydore District Court. Pictured: Patrick Woods.

But Mr Stark said the situation was the other way around, and said it was Ms Nuske who had thrown those women “under the bus”.

He said, in response to Mr Casey’s earlier claims Ms Nuske had no motive to have taken the money, that her “motive (was) the money”.

“The … witnesses didn’t do these transactions (from the business to Ms Nuske), they didn’t concoct them … all they did was find some of them,” he said.

He called Ms Nuske’s conduct “open-ended looting of a business”.

Mr Stark went on to point out inconsistencies within Ms Nuske’s evidence, including differences in important dates, claims Ms Banks’ fled to Bali before a GST audit instead of England, and her claims the restaurant would be left to her and other staff members in Ms Banks’ will.

Maroochydore Courthouse. Picture: Patrick Woods.

Ms Banks’ solicitor, Noosa lawyer Virgil Power, told the court during his evidence on December 15, the restaurant would only be left to Ms Nuske and the others in the event Ms Banks’ daughters had also died.

Judge Gary Long began his summing up after Mr Stark finished his statement, and is expected to continue on Monday.

Earlier in the trial, Ms Nuske accused Ms Banks’ of committing tax fraud and fleeing overseas to avoid “getting caught” during a GST audit.

She told the court she and Ms Banks had a conversation in early-2015 about how Ms Nuske had not had maternity leave or long service leave, despite working for the business for nearly two decades and having two children.

She said the transactions, which have were allegedly unauthorised, were authorised by Ms Banks during this conversation.

The trial continues on Monday, December 19.

Originally published as Jodi Louise Nuske accused of throwing Bistro C associates ‘under the bus’