A MAN accused of a multi-million-dollar betting scam and bank fraud has been committed to stand trial, despite being in hospital.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Justin Luke Yianakis did not appear in Tamworth Local Court on more than 130 charges after magistrate Julie Soars was told he had been hospitalised.
Agent solicitor Harry Pendlebury tendered a medical certificate to the court explaining Yianakis' absence.
"Do we know how long that is going to go on for?" Ms Soars asked.
"Indefinitely," Mr Pendlebury replied.
READ ALSO:
The DPP asked to push the matter to committal, despite the hospital admission, adding it was taking too long in the local court.
Mr Pendlebury said he was instructed by his agent to oppose the application because the defence had been discussing the case with the Crown. Some of the details cannot be reported for legal reasons.
The court heard "there is a fitness issue" which needed to be explored. Mr Pendlebury initially asked for two weeks but Ms Soars rejected the adjournment request.
"They're very old, they need to move," she said, examining the court papers.
"One matter was first mentioned in January 2019.
"They're well outside the time frames."
Ms Soars said she was pushing the case to the district court based on a medical diagnosis.
"He's currently in a facility and has been committed," she said.
"It's a matter that has some age with it, and it needs to progress in one way or another."
DPP solicitor Max Dixon said Yianakis was "currently in a mental health facility" and the case couldn't linger any longer.
"In my submission ... it has some age, it is a matter that mental health issues have been live for some time," he said.
Ms Soars consented, and committed the case for trial.
"He has some issues, and it would be appropriate to commit the matter to trial for further investigation," Ms Soars said.
The court heard Yianakis was facing two cases, including one that had 135 charges.
More than 70 charges were committed for trial, with the rest withdrawn and dismissed in court.
Ms Soars also varied Yianakis' bail while he's in hospital.
"To suspend residence and reporting while he's an inpatient. [He's] not to leave the facility unless discharged," she told the court.
Detectives charged Yianakis with a slew of fraud and dishonesty offences in 2019, involving betting giants CrownBet and Ladbrokes, as well as Macquarie Telecom and the National Australia Bank.
At the time of his arrest, police claimed Yianakis attempted to defraud a bank, using fake cheques to obtain $2.9 million in July 2018, in Gunnedah.
Police allege Yianakis operated false companies and used several fake identities to obtain telecommunication items, money and bitcoin for several companies in NSW, Queensland and Victoria.
It was the police case that he then on-sold the goods and presented false cheques to gambling companies.
The frauds allegedly took place between 2017 and January 2019 in Gunnedah.