A NSW doctor accused of financing an abduction ring that helped mothers take and hide their children in violation of family court orders apparently doesn't like his GPS tracker.
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William Russell Massingham Pridgeon has been granted a two-week adjournment on Friday to make a bail variation application about the device in Brisbane Magistrates Court.
His lawyer, Andrew Owens, told the court Pridgeon did not like his newer-style GPS tracker which requires him to sit down next to a charger up to two hours at a time when the battery runs low.
Mr Owen asked for a committal hearing date so he could make a no case application for his client.
Federal police have alleged Pridgeon, founder of the Australian Anti-Paedophile Party, was the main financial backer and planner behind efforts to help two women take their children, contrary to family law orders.
Pridgeon is disputing two counts of conspiracy to defeat justice, dealing in the proceeds of crime to the value $100,000, two counts of child stealing and unlawful stalking.
Mr Owen said Pridgeon had been severely impacted by the allegations because his medical licence had been revoked and he had been living with "extremely onerous" bail conditions.
"They've just changed the types of GPS trackers. They used to be able home charge it and take it off so they can walk around the house," Mr Owen said.
"They have to plug it into a wall and sit there. They can't take it off their ankle. It takes about two and a half hours to charge.
"So bail restrictions are extremely onerous and they've been on for six months."
Prosecutors said they had only completed about 80 per cent of the brief of evidence, which was about 40 gigabytes of material so far.
Prosecutors sought a four-week adjournment in the case, stating there was further forensic examination to be done to computers.
Pridgeon's matters, along with his co-accused, were adjourned to May 3.
Pridgeon and his lawyer will make a bail variation application on April 18.
Outside court, Pridgeon made an impassioned statement that said he and others had been protecting children.
"We believed these children and we protected them," he told a large group of supporters and reporters.
Flanked by two women in suits, Pridgeon accused police of deliberately ignoring evidence of child sex abuse that his group had collected from the children.
"They say that abuse did not occur. It's absurd," he said.
"This is a very dark moment in the history of the Australian Federal Police."
Australian Associated Press
