Jeffrey Mark Spiro, 71, charged with assault and deprivation of liberty after stopping girl running with tweezers on cruise

A former police officer has been charged with assault after allegedly grabbing a 14-year-old girl during a cruise and taking her to the ship’s security because she was running while carrying a small toiletry item.

A Carnival cruise ship docked at the Brisbane International Cruise Terminal. File picture: Richard Walker

A former New Zealand police officer has been deemed an “unlikely vigilante” after allegedly grabbing a 14 year old girl and taking her to security on a cruise ship for running with tweezers, a court has heard.

Jeffrey Mark Spiro, 71, was charged with deprivation of liberty and two counts of common assault when his Carnival ship docked at the Port of Brisbane on Saturday morning.

However a jurisdictional issue could arise depending on just how far the cruise ship was off the coast of Townsville when the incident – which did not see the girl physically hurt – happened on Thursday night.

Brisbane Magistrates Court court heard that police allege there was some “some running and carrying on in the hallway where she has some tweezers”.

“So he’s on the Crown case apprehended this person and then brought them to security,” Spiro’s lawyer Shane McDowell said on Monday.

“Unlikely vigilante,” Magistrate Ross Mack interjected.

Spiro, who applied for bail, appeared to be only able to shuffle when walking, had difficulty sitting and spoke very slowly when brought into the courtroom.

Mr McDowell said the alleged deprivation of liberty lasted for four minutes.

“He doesn’t take them to his room, he doesn’t take her anywhere sinister, he takes her to security,” he said.

Mr McDowell said a jurisdictional issue arose if the alleged offence occurred more than 12 nautical miles off the Queensland coast. If it did the Commonwealth Attorney-General would have to grant permission to Queensland to prosecute the matter.

Police prosecutor Sgt Matt Kahler said it appeared to have occurred in Commonwealth waters however more time would be needed to confirm.

The court heard Spiro, who had no criminal history, had been a police officer in NZ in the 1980s before moving to Australia where he became a citizen.

Mr Mack granted the Sunshine Coast man bail with a condition he not contact the complainant.

The matter was adjourned to July 24.

Originally published as Jeffrey Mark Spiro, 71, charged with assault and deprivation of liberty after stopping girl running with tweezers on cruise