Australian TV star wins the right to keep her identity secret after she was charged with rape and torture – as her suicide attempt is revealed

An Australian TV star charged with 37 historic child abuse offenses – including rape and torture – has won a bid to keep her identity secret amid mental health concerns following a recent suicide attempt.

The woman, 52, is accused of committing the alleged crimes between 2005 and 2023 at various locations in Queensland.

The charges against her include eight counts of rape, one count of sexual assault, 17 counts of indecent treatment of children under 16, two counts of torture and other offences.

Her partner, a 49-year-old man, has also been charged with seven assaults and cannot be identified for legal reasons.

The woman’s lawyers moved quickly to obtain a court order suppressing her identity after new laws came into effect on October 3, allowing some people accused of sex crimes in Queensland to be named.

After lawyers for the alleged victims and media organizations launched a legal bid to challenge the court order, Magistrate Aaron Simpson ruled on Monday that the order would be upheld.

In his ruling, Magistrate Simpson cited concerns about the woman’s mental health after she ‘spontaneously’ committed suicide on September 15, amid media attention surrounding her case.

According to court documents, the woman – who has a “complex personal and medical history” – felt “hopeless and helpless” about the situation when a friend suggested she drink “half a glass of red wine” with Valium to help numb her. .

However, the woman ‘didn’t think straight’, ‘didn’t want to be here anymore’ and attempted suicide.

She was rushed to hospital in an ambulance before later being released under constant supervision and with the support of family and friends.

After hospitalization, the woman was referred to a criminal and forensic psychologist for examination.

The psychologist found that the accusations had a ‘profound negative’ impact on the woman.

He noted that she showed symptoms of depression and anxiety, had difficulty functioning with daily tasks and was still at high risk for suicide.

The psychologist said the woman was later confronted by a media outlet in a parking lot on October 3, causing her to fear for her safety and “perpetuating” her existing mental disorders.

“Releasing her identity to the wider public is a significant destabilizing factor to her mental state and even more so to her capacity for judgment and reasoning,” the psychologist’s report reads.

‘As such, the risk of deliberate self-harm and/or suicide remains high. The aggravating factor is the associated limitations in self-regulation, which are a consequence of her psychological disorder, as evidenced by her suicide attempt.”

In making his decision, Magistrate Simpson said there are “few better examples of the particular vulnerability of a suspect” when it comes to meeting the criteria of a suppression order, and that the woman is a “fragile person who has a poses a risk to itself’.

He said the woman’s safety was paramount over defense attorney arguments that she should be identified for the sake of open justice, the public interest and the desire of her alleged victims to identify themselves.

The case will return to court for a hearing in November.

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