Defence claim difficulty obtaining ‘paperwork’ in Corey Ireland case

Defence say they are facing challenges obtaining paperwork from police in the Corey Ireland court case. See what happened in District Court today.

The arraignment of alleged cattle fraudster Corey Ireland was again adjourned in the Sydney Downing Centre on Friday morning.

Mr Ireland, formerly of Kyeamba in southern NSW, was the principal of Ireland’s Angus Stud and is facing 16 fraud charges, with some dating back to 2020.

In District Court before Judge Mark Williams SC, Mr Ireland’s defence stated that they had made 11 attempts to seek documentation relating to the charges from the officer in charge and the Director of Public Prosecution’s office in Wagga Wagga.

Mr Ireland’s defence said they were prepared to provide an affidavit outlining the contact attempts – a police officer with the NSW Rural Crime Prevention Team – since the last court date at the Sydney Downing Centre.

The defence told the court that the evidence was in “paper form” and still located in Wagga Wagga.

A file image of Angus bulls at the former Ireland’s Angus Stud at Kyeamba in southern NSW.

The matter was previously adjourned on September 6 by Judge Mark Williams SC in the Sydney Downing Centre after Mr Ireland appointed a new legal team.

Before the September 6 scheduled arraignment, the alleged fraud charges were listed for mention on dozens of occasions in the Wagga Wagga Local Court; however, it was agreed by the defence and the prosecution to move to Sydney for an arraignment.

Mr Ireland has still not entered a plea on the 16 charges. Of those charges, 13 date back to 2020, and an additional three were laid in 2023.

The police facts tendered to Wagga Wagga Local Court allege that there are victims as far south as Tasmania as well as Victoria and the Riverina in NSW.

The NSW Rural Crime Prevention team launched Strikeforce Seger in 2019 to investigate the alleged fraudulent cattle transactions.

Mr Ireland appeared via videolink on Friday morning and now the matter returns to court on November 15. His bail status remains unchanged, and he is excused from attending on the next occasion.