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AAP
AAP
National
Rex Martinich

Accused TV personality called 'rock spider', court told

Barrister Patrick McCafferty has criticised Nine's A Current Affair for approaching his client. (Jono Searle/AAP PHOTOS)

A woman who was featured on a Seven Network show and has been charged with child sex offences will have her identity kept secret for at least the next two weeks.

A magistrates court in Brisbane's southwest on Friday heard an application for an ongoing non-publication order preventing media outlets from naming the accused woman.

Her application is one of several filed after Queensland changed its laws this week to allow the naming of people charged with sex offences but who have not been committed to stand trial.

The woman has been accused of multiple counts of indecent treatment of children aged under 16, rape, sexual assault, torture and assaults.

The accused woman's barrister, Patrick McCafferty KC, told Richlands Magistrates Court his client faced the likelihood of self-harm if she was named by media organisations.

"Your honour will probably hear extensive references to the defendant's mental health; most pertinently it has declined since media reporting and the actions of one particular organisation," he said.

Magistrate Aaron Simpson closed the court to the public to hear details from a report by the woman's psychologist.

When the court reopened, Mr McCafferty criticised Nine network show A Current Affair, which has not identified the woman, for approaching her outside a shopping centre and asking her why she was still on TV when she was facing charges.

Mr McCafferty said A Current Affair had also put the video on Facebook where users had added comments via the share function, calling the woman subhuman and an evil maggot and urging people to "name and shame" her.

"Here's a good (comment): 'You can find out all the rock spiders in Queensland now, we can shoot you in the head'," Mr McCafferty said.

Barrister for the woman's alleged victims, Claire Schneider, told the court her clients wanted to preserve their right to talk about their experiences via a podcast.

"It's important they have right to self-identify," she said.

Ms Schneider said the accused woman had already used her public Instagram social media account to make what could be seen as comments about the case.

"She has voluntarily publicised information then sought an exceptional order contrary to the principles of public justice to protect her," she said.

Barrister for News Corp Australia and the Nine and Ten TV networks, Morgan Clarke, told the court Queensland's parliament had changed the law knowing that media attention would fall on high-profile people charged with sex offences.

"The legislature was acutely aware that these cases attract significant publicity of the kind that A Current Affair has done," Mr Clarke said.

Mr Simpson said he would reserve his decision to consider his reasons "for a number of weeks" as it was a complicated matter and he had other cases.

The accused woman's identity will be protected by an interim order in the meantime, with her criminal charges due to be heard again on November 28.

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