Chitchat Melbourne (Jiuhu?) Couple Face Trial for Slavery Charges

[Pinkieslut]

Melbourne couple Chee Kit Chong and Angie Liaw ordered to face trial over slavery charges​

By court reporter Kristian Silva
Posted Mon 7 Aug 2023 at 2:57pmMonday 7 Aug 2023 at 2:57pm

Specific allegations against Chee Kit Chong and Angie Yeh Ling Liaw are yet to be revealed, after their arrest in October 2022.(Facebook: Chong Chee Kit)
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• In short: A magistrate rules there is sufficient evidence to support a conviction in a slavery case, sending the matter to a higher court
• What's next? Mr Chong and Ms Liaw have pleaded not guilty and will now face a County Court trial

A Melbourne couple charged with modern-day slavery offences has been ordered to stand trial, after months of court delays and changes to their legal representation.
Chee Kit Chong, 44, and his wife Angie Yeh Ling Liaw, 29, are each facing three slavery-related charges, with prosecutors alleging they exercised coercive control over a woman and kept her as a slave in their Point Cook home over a 10-month period.
Federal Police raided the home in October last year after a tip-off from a healthcare worker.
The slavery charges carry a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.
The alleged victim was recently diagnosed with a terminal illness and prosecutors want to fast-track the case through the courts.
However, Mr Chong and Ms Liaw have been granted several adjournments over the last four months and have changed their lawyers several times.
On Monday, the couple told the Melbourne Magistrates' Court they would be pleading not guilty to the charges.
It also emerged that Mr Chong had changed his lawyers again.
"I think we're the fifth or sixth legal firm that hasn't been funded," barrister Elizabeth McKinnon said.
Ms McKinnon said she was yet to be properly briefed and asked for a further adjournment.
However, that request was rejected by Magistrate Belinda Franjic during a sixth committal mention hearing for the case.
"He has not done anything meaningful since the matter commenced in November 2022," Magistrate Franjic said of Mr Chong.
"Against that background, I consider the fact that the prosecution has a complainant who has a diagnosis of a terminal illness."
While not making any finding of innocence or guilt, Magistrate Franjic ruled there was sufficient police evidence to support a conviction.
It means the case will now progress to a County Court directions hearing next week, with a trial date to be fixed.

The couple, who were arrested by Federal Police, have entered not guilty pleas.(Supplied: Australian Federal Police)

Confusion over lawyers continues​

On Monday, Ms Liaw told the court that her husband had organised for Ms McKinnon's instructing firm MCD Lawyers to represent her as well, however Ms McKinnon said that was incorrect and said it would be "highly unlikely" they would be able to do so.
Ms Liaw, who eventually represented herself, said she had not yet read the prosecution brief of evidence which contained the allegations against her and her husband.
Specific details about what the couple are alleged to have done have not been made public, and on Monday the magistrate knocked back an application by the media to access a summary of the police case.
Ms Liaw told the court she was in possession of her own evidence and was willing to share it.
"I have a lot of pictures about the person going on outings with us," she said.
Bail was extended for Mr Chong and Ms Liaw, who have been required to surrender their passports and report to police regularly

 

[Pinkieslut]

This guy is Malaysian with Singapore PR, used to worked for Sports Council as swimming coach.


https://assets.sportstg.com/assets/console/customitem/attachments/maxResumesport.pdf

Atlantic International University is a pure degree mill without any campus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_International_University

https://www.examiner.com.au/story/7271882/alleged-con-man-claimed-he-was-state-swim-coach/

A former Newnham man who has pleaded not guilty to fraud involving more than $150,000 purported to be the head coach of the Tasmanian swimming team, Launceston Magistrates Court documents reveal. Chee Kit Chong, 42, appeared via telephone and was represented by defence counsel Fran McCracken. He is now living in Western Australia. He has pleaded not guilty to a total of 82 counts of fraud and 19 counts of using a computer with intent to defraud across Tasmania.

On a first complaint, court documents show that Tasmania Police allege that Mr Chong told Anyang Zhang in January 2019 that he was the head coach of the Tasmanian swimming team and that he was required to travel to Melbourne to replace a lost bank card. He requested $2000 be deposited to cover the trip. After that between January 2019 and April 2020, Mr Chong is alleged to have defrauded a number of people in Australian currency of almost $120,000. There was also alleged fraud in Chinese renminbi. Police allege he used a computer with intent to defraud in April last year amounts totalling more than $2700.

On a second complaint between January and April 2020, Mr Chong is alleged to have defrauded people of more than $41,000 by telling them among other reasons that he had lost his bank card and that he needed money for his sick daughter and for food. Police allege he told Weigiac Zhang that he was isolated in hospital and that his wife needed cash for food. He also alleged to have used a computer with an intent to defraud Tian Zi of $630.

On a third complaint, he allegedly told Danyu Go that the only way she could get her money back was by way of a false repayment deal with Swimming Tasmania and that she should deposit more money into his account. Police allege fraud of $3460 on the complaint.

On a fourth complaint, police also allege that in August 2019 in Hobart he caused Danyu Go to believe that an account was that of a hospital and that by depositing $500 into the account she was contributing to him having surgery. On one count of fraud, Mr Chong is alleged to have sought $10,000 from Ms Guo to go to Melbourne to broker a repayment deal. Magistrate Simon Brown committed him to the Supreme Court for directions hearing on July 19.