Top lawyer faces long wait in custody
SMH - SYDNEY lawyer Michael Poynder should have been celebrating the
birth of his niece on Friday. Instead he was facing court on
charges of attempting to procure children for sex.
Poynder - who has resigned from law firm Minter Ellison - made
no application for bail when he appeared in Central Local Court via
video link from jail where he will remain for two months.
At the same time his brother, high-profile human rights lawyer
Nicholas Poynder, was celebrating the birth of his second
daughter.
The jailing of Michael Poynder, 50, is generating great interest
in Sydney's legal circles, including speculation about which silk
he is likely to engage when the time comes to mount his
defence.
On the surface, he had everything. From Tasmania, he moved to
Sydney where his career took him to the position of special counsel
at top legal firm Minter Ellison. He and his wife lived on the
lower North Shore. Now, he is no longer married and is facing
shocking charges.
Poynder was arrested on June 15 after arriving at a unit in
Redfern with $236 in cash, and lubricant.
Police facts tended to the court alleged Poynder had made many
calls to the Hot Gozzip chat line. His personal greeting allegedly
expressed his desire to "sadistically rape children and
animals".
Through the chat line, Poynder met a 15-year-old boy and an
undercover policewoman posing as a 15-year-old girl. He allegedly
sent a text message saying he was willing to pay for sex. Poynder
was arrested and charged with two counts of attempting to procure
children for sex through a phone sex service.
Minter Ellison was quick to remove his photograph from its
website.
At his first court hearing on June 16, Poynder's lawyer, Arthur
Aguirre, argued that there was no evidence that the lawyer enjoyed
"rape or torture". He was refused bail. When he returned to court
last Friday he made no further application for bail.
Bail was formally refused and Poynder was remanded in custody
pending a bail review on August 23.
Minter Ellison was concerned enough about the fallout from the
arrest to engage a public relations company to monitor the court
proceedings.
A managing partner at the law firm, Alan McArthur, said of
Poynder's arrest: "This is a tragic turn of events for everyone
impacted . . . As the matter is currently before the court, it's
inappropriate for us to comment further." | 
