Alexander Rhyse Southam back in jail after bail revoked in Proserpine court

An Airlie Beach man has been sent back to jail after his bail was revoked, despite the 31-year-old begging the court for leniency, offering to call his parents for a loan to pay for lawyers.

Rhyse Alexander Southam (right) had his bail revoked as prosecution told the court he was deliberately delaying his case.

A magistrate has revoked a Whitsunday man’s bail after he was accused of deliberately delaying his case for more than a year.

Alexander Rhyse Southam, 31, begged the court not to revoke his bail, saying he would ‘call his parents’ in front of the court to pay for the lawyers.

The Airlie Beach resident was back before the courts once again trying to answer the question of why the court had been unable to progress his case since the first mention more than a year ago.

Mr Southam is facing a total of 21 charges, five of which are related to an event that occurred in Midge Point on January 12 2023.

He is accused of dangerously driving a car resulting in a crash into a telegraph pole and a fence, which at the time had cut off power for 200 residents.

He also allegedly failed to comply with the duties of a driver involved in a crash and give required particulars to police.

Other charges include drug related offences, breaches of bail, fraud or taking photographs during court proceedings.

Prosecutor Sergeant Emma Myors told the court his oldest charges which dated back to 2022, were ‘basically languishing’, as the case had been delayed over and over again because of his lack of ‘availability’.

Rhyse Alexander Southam is facing a total of 21 charges.

Ms Myors told the court his last legal representation PD Law had officially dropped his case last week after they had been unable to get answers from him as to how he wanted to progress the case.

“He’s telling you he’s trying to get legal representation but he’s essentially not doing anything to get new legal representation except for sending emails,” Ms Myors told the court.

“It relies on him engaging with a solicitor”

“Unless he could engage funds and trust in it, nothing has really progressed at all.

“Maybe it’s come to a time where he would have to be remanded in custody until we can sort it out.”

Mr Southam apologised to the court for not replying to correspondence to his previous lawyers at PD Law, but said it was due to poor connection at his residence.

He told Magistrate Michelle Howard he was in the process of making arrangements for new legal representation, and said that they assured him they would take his case on.

Ms Howard gave him until the end of the court day to provide proof of what he told her, but Mr Southam was unable to provide any correspondence with Legal Aid to the court.

Mr Southam appeared before the court a second time after 4pm and told Mrs Howard and Sergeant Myors he had failed to get his new lawyer to send an email to the court.

When told his bail would be revoked, Mr Southam started to beg the magistrate not to do it, and told her he “actually wanted to get somewhere in life”.

He told Ms Howard he was ready to “call [his] parents” in front of the court and have them loan him the money to pay for a lawyer.

Ms Howard adjourned the case to Thursday in Mackay Magistrates Court but revoked his bail until then.

Mr Southam was taken into custody at the end of the proceedings.

Originally published as Alexander Rhyse Southam back in jail after bail revoked in Proserpine court