Illegal tapes could halt Edelsten case
Download – 1987 Illegal tapes could halt Edelsten case
30/10/1987 – The Age
The Federal Government’s legislation against the use of illegally intercepted telephone conversations as court evidence is likely to result in the dropping of criminal charges against the medical entrepreneur, Dr Geoffrey Edelsten.
Dr Edelsten is charged in the Sydney Central Local Court with conspiring to assault a former patient and conspiring to pervert the course of justice. The matter had been set down for hearing on 23 November.
The court was told yesterday that the bulk of the case against Dr Edelsten was based on tapes of illegal telephone taps which, under the Federal Telecommunications Act, passed in June and expected to take effect before the end of the year, would not be admissible evidence.
Mr James Sheblin, for the director of public prosecutions, said that without the use of two illegally taped conversations, the prosecution would have insufficient evidence to mount a case.
Mr Sheblin told the magistrate, Mr David Hyde, that there was no section within the act providing for cases already before the court.
Mr Hyde vacated the committal hearing dates and stood the matter over until 15 December for mention.