NSW: Mercedes Corby's ex-best friend "lied" for money: jury told

AAP General News (Australia)
04-29-2008
NSW: Mercedes Corby's ex-best friend "lied" for money: jury told

By Margaret Scheikowski

SYDNEY, April 29 AAP - The Seven Network conspired with a "money hungry" fantasist
to broadcast lies that Schapelle Corby's sister was a drug smuggler, a jury has been told.

Stuart Littlemore QC, for Mercedes Corby, also told the jury that the "fantasist" -
her former best friend, Jodie Power - was motivated by "money, hatred and celebrity" to
tell the lies.

In return, Seven had paid Ms Power something like $120,000 in cash and given her an
all expenses paid holiday to a ski resort in Canada with her two children.

"She lied out of hatred and she lied because she wanted her 15 minutes of fame," Mr
Littlemore said.

Ms Corby and Ms Power sat across from each other in the NSW Supreme Court in Sydney
today, their views of each other partly obscured by a trolley of law books.

The sister of convicted drug smuggler Schapelle Corby has taken defamation action over
a Seven news bulletin item and three shows broadcast on its Today Tonight program to millions
of viewers in February last year.

She is suing Channel Seven Sydney Pty Limited, Seven Network Limited and Australian
News Channel Pty Limited, which aired the shows on Sky TV.

Ms Corby also is suing Today Tonight's presenter Anna Coren, its reporter Bryan Seymour
and Ms Power.

Mr Littlemore said the programs conveyed defamatory meanings including that Ms Corby
was a drug smuggler, a drug dealer and posed a threat to the safety of Ms Power.

Describing Ms Corby as "an ordinary Australian", he said she had been subjected to
"trial by media" when her only offence was her sister being "locked up in a stinking jail
in Bali".

He said Seven had engaged in chequebook journalism in its "hunger for ratings" and
had conspired with a "money hungry fabricator, Ms Power".

"She is a fantasist with a history of a significant drug problem," he said of Ms Power.

"We will tender evidence the defendants knew she was making her allegations up as a
way of getting back at Mercedes Corby."

The four programs were played to the jury of three men and one woman.

Mr Littlemore referred to one where a lie detector was used on Ms Power, a process
he described as "mumbo jumbo and rubbish".

He said a scene had been "falsified" where Ms Power broke down after being told she
failed one test, which she later explained by saying it related to other personal matters.

"There is really nothing that Channel Seven will stop at in lying to its audience," he said.

The QC referred to another program in which Ms Power's mother is interviewed, telling
the reporter her daughter does not lie.

"She said Jodie was the most honest person in the family," Mr Littlemore said.

"It's all relative, I suppose."

Schapelle Corby is serving 20 years in a Bali prison after being convicted of smuggling
4.1kg of cannabis into Indonesia inside a bodyboard bag in 2004.

The hearing is continuing before Justice Carolyn Simpson.

AAP mss/evt/sp/cdh

KEYWORD: CORBY NIGHTLEAD (FILE PIX)

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