Friday at the Mildura Law Courts brought a remarkable turn of events.
Safety order application withdrawn
The Victorian Solicitor General’s Office withdrew the order of public safety against supporter for the Australian One Nation party Dean Lampard. Mr. Lampard went on to make scandalous allegations against Anne Webster, a new wheelhouse member, and a serious player in regional politics. He focused these attacks on her husband Philip Webster.
Mr Lampard had already been prohibited from communicating with the Websters after he posted grotesque allegations against them, such as corruption and paedophilia. However, Magistrate Patrick Southey characterized these allegations as “nonsense” and described them as “crackpot, conspiracy theory allegations that hold no basis whatsoever.” A man branded in a One Nation cap cut an arresting figure throughout the court proceedings. His presence underscored the political tension that had come to surround the case.
Legal Proceedings and Allegations
Jamie Griffin, Mr. Lampard’s lawyer, questioned the legitimacy of the safety order brought by a senior detective at Mildura Police Station. Therefore, he maintained that the assertions that were made by Mr. Lampard against the Websters were unsupported and unfounded. At the time, he proposed that those allegations were baseless.
“How can it be said that Mr. Webster has any fear at all when he approaches my client, assaults my client, and my client leaves?” – Jamie Griffin
Mr. Griffin praised the lack of credible evidence to back up the claims. He assailed the decision of the prosecutor’s office itself for making the choice to pursue the case. He went on to call the interim orders unfounded and lacking any evidence of criminal action.
While Magistrate Southey declared he felt strongly skeptical about the credibility of the alleged victims, he further contended that had these allegations been true, Dr. Webster would not still be a Member of Parliament, or her husband a practicing physician.
“If there was any shred of truth, [Anne Webster] wouldn’t be a Member of Parliament and [Philip Webster] wouldn’t be a doctor.” – Magistrate Patrick Southey
Incident Details
All this legal drama started with a Good Friday standoff. Philip Webster went up against Mr. Lampard at a car show. The court recalled a courtroom outburst that included some back-and-forth commentary along with a good bit of shoving. During this altercation, Mr. Webster had allegedly pushed Mr. Lampard. The situation ratcheted up after Dr. Webster asked Mr. Lampard to leave based on comments she deemed inappropriate.
Nadia Deltondo, the solicitor for the government, was unable to provide details regarding the incident, citing “a number of reasons that unfortunately I can’t answer.”
