Wilson’s defence barrister, Heather Anderson, had fought for a gag order over the new case and for the court to ban media from linking Wilson’s case to Brown’s name in any reporting.
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Prosecutor Pierce Russell opposed the move, arguing such “wide terms” would make the entire case unreportable. “That is an extraordinary order for the court to make,” he said.
Magistrate Donna Bakos refused the suppression bids, siding with Russell and lawyer Sam White, representing Nine Entertainment, owner of this masthead.
“I am not persuaded that a proceeding with a suppression order is necessary,” Bakos said.
Wilson, who has been held in custody since his arrest in April, appeared via video link.
The Brown case has plunged Australia’s scandal-ridden childcare sector into crisis, as this masthead revealed that safety complaints were ignored at the two childcare chains where Brown is suspected of offending.
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Last week, the top two executives of one of those chains, Affinity Education, which employed Brown, stood down. An internal source confirmed the departure of CEO Tim Hickey and COO Nishad Alani were related to this masthead’s reporting, including that Affinity had withheld evidence from sex crimes detectives investigating Brown.
Wilson will appear in court next on November 14 for a committal mention.
