MAKING NEWS

Wed, 23 July 2008
Accused surgeon Patel released on bail
Wed Jul 23 2008

Indian-born surgeon Jayant Patel is a free man following his release from custody on bail.

The 58-year-old was released from the Brisbane watchhouse at 5pm (AEST) on Tuesday after posting $20,000 bail.

Wednesday is the first time since March 11 that Patel has been out of custody.

He had been held in custody in Portland, Oregon, where he was living, and arrived back in Australia on Monday following his extradition from the US.

Detail of Patel's new accommodation is the subject of a suppression order, but he has surrendered his passport and must stay within Queensland, reporting to police three days a week.

Patel faces 14 charges including manslaughter, grievous bodily harm and fraud, relating to his time at Bundaberg Base Hospital between 2003 and 2005.

Meanwhile, civil libertarians say that media organisations should be pressured to provide legally binding undertakings that they won't reveal the whereabouts of the surgeon.

Breaching such an order could potentially attract contempt of court proceedings against media organisations.

But Australian Council for Civil Liberties president Terry O'Gorman fears the media will still race to reveal the whereabouts of Patel, who is awaiting trial on manslaughter and other charges following his extradition from the US.

He said Queensland Attorney-General Kerry Shine should take action to ensure the magistrate's order is respected.

"It is notorious that media commercial pressures and the basic primeval urge of the media to feast on a controversy will mean that there is going to be a race among media outlets to be the first to reveal his address," Mr O'Gorman told AAP.

"The magistrate made it quite clear during the bail hearing that Patel's address was not to be revealed and we say that if the media do reveal it they are guilty of contempt of court.

"The attorney-general, in order to proactively protect the magistrate's order and to prevent Patel being hounded from one address to another, should seek (legally binding) undertakings from the media not to reveal the address.

"Those media outlets that won't give such undertakings he should take to the Supreme Court so the issue can be urgently addressed."

SOURCE:ninemsn

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