The complainant in an alleged Melbourne slavery case has been identified with a terminal sickness, a courtroom has been instructed, as prosecutors confirmed they are going to search to ship the matter to the Supreme Court.
Level Cook dinner couple Chee Package Chong, 44, and Angie Yeh Liaw, 29, have every been charged by the Australian Federal Police with a number of fashionable slavery offences, after allegedly maintaining a feminine in home servitude between January and October 2022.
On Monday, prosecutor Michael Keks instructed the Melbourne Magistrates’ Courtroom that the complainant, who he mentioned was a ‘essential witness,’ had been identified with a terminal sickness, and foreshadowed that the Crown would search to ship the matter on to the Supreme Courtroom and skip the committal listening to course of.
The complainant in an alleged Melbourne slavery case has been identified with a terminal sickness, a courtroom has been instructed, as prosecutors confirmed they are going to search to ship the matter to the Supreme Courtroom (pictured, Chee Package Chong)
‘This must be addressed,’ Mr Keks mentioned.
He instructed the courtroom the defendants had engaged a number of solicitors, however a number of companies had withdrawn due to a scarcity of funding.
Mr Keks mentioned there had been a ‘lack of progress’ typically within the case, and mentioned the courtroom may have ‘no confidence’ funding could be forthcoming from the accused pair.
The AFP had beforehand said that they started an investigation into the couple after stories from a healthcare companion involved a couple of girl who allegedly confirmed indicators of human trafficking.
They mentioned they executed search warrants on the pair’s Level Cook dinner house on October 27 final 12 months, and charged Mr Chong on November 17 with possessing a slave and utilizing coercion and threats to trigger one other individual to stay in servitude.
He was later charged with exercising management over a slave, and on April 4 this 12 months, Ms Liaw was charged with the identical three offences.
The utmost penalty every face is 25 years in jail.
Melbourne couple Angie Liaw and Chee Package Chong have each been charged with three slavery-related offences, and face having their issues heard within the Supreme Courtroom. Photograph: Fb.
Defence lawyer Payne Wu, who’s representing each Mr Chong and Ms Liaw, mentioned council wanted time to go examine the prosecution transient.
Justice of the Peace Belinda Franjic instructed Mr Chong, who appeared in courtroom in individual, and Ms Liaw, who appeared through video, that if there remained funding points when the matter returned subsequent month she would ‘critically entertain’ sending it on to a superior courtroom.
‘You could attend to paying your attorneys as quickly as potential,’ Justice of the Peace Franjic mentioned.
The matter will return to the Melbourne Magistrates’ Courtroom on July 14.
Each Mr Chong and Ms Liaw had their bail prolonged to that date.
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