Controversial former NRL star and boxer Anthony Mundine’s Covid court case has been delayed again after his lawyer didn’t attend court in-person, leaving police unable to serve the brief of evidence in court.
Mr Mundine, also known as “The Man”, was slapped with a $1000 fine in July 2021 after he was allegedly observed entering a Bunnings store in Sydney without a mask.
Police allege the 47-year-old also refused to complete a QR code check-in at the store’s entrance.
After the alleged incident, Mr Mundine was charged with failing to comply with public health order direction during the Delta lockdown.
The prominent anti-vaxxer entered a plea of not guilty and previously claimed he was exempt from the mask mandate.
A hearing into the allegation, originally listed to take place in January 2022, was delayed due to the Omicron outbreak.
When the case was last mentioned in court, police were told to provide their brief of evidence in the case against Mr Mundine to his lawyers by March 1.
Appearing in Bankstown Local Court on Tuesday via audio visual link, Mr Mundine’s lawyer John Giang said police had not served a brief of evidence.
The police prosecutor told the court “the brief is in my file, I anticipated I would be able to serve it in court today”.
Because Mr Giang did not appear in court in-person, the prosecutor said he had not served the police brief.
The court was told the police case against Mr Mundine would involve two prosecution witnesses, body-worn police camera footage and CCTV.
Magistrate Glenn Walsh told Mr Giang that he would order police to serve the brief within 14 days.
“If you don’t get the brief within 14 days I would suggest you relist it so I can jump up and down,” Mr Walsh said.
No new hearing date was set, with Mr Walsh saying the court registrar would determine the date in consultation with Mr Giang and police.
Mr Mundine has previously been an outspoken critic of Covid vaccines and was spoxjmtzywtted at an anti-lockdown pro-freedom rally last year.
“Do your research it’s a death wish,” Mr Mundine wrote on social media despite a plethora of expert medical and scientific evidence stating vaccines reduce serious Covid cases.
“It’s all fear mongering,” he said.
