The estranged wife of union heavyweight John Setka has been banned from contacting a private investigator as part of strict bail conditions after being charged with incitement to commit conspiracy to murder her husband.
Emma Walters faced a brief hearing via video link in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday a week after she was charged.
Emma Walters outside Melbourne Magistrates’ Court last week.Credit:Jason South
Crown prosecutor Laura Zubreckji said police body-worn camera footage would form part of the brief and investigators have until late May to finalise their case against Walters.
The Age previously revealed Walters, a former lawyer and mother of Setka’s two children, was arrested after police executed a warrant at the 46-year-old’s West Footscray home and seized a mobile phone.
She has since been charged with incitement to commit conspiracy to murder, incitement to acquire a firearm and making threats to kill Setka, who is secretary of the Victorian-Tasmanian arm of the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union.
On Wednesday, her solicitor, Emily Clark from Fayman Lawyers, said Walters consented to bail conditions that would prevent her from contacting witnesses, past or present employees of Group One Investigations, and a man named in court as Adrian Peeters.
Online, Peeters describes himself as a private investigator who has worked for Group One Investigations for 13 years.
Group One Investigations is described as a licensed Melbourne-based private investigation company that caters for both corporate and domestic clients.
Its website says the firm accepts all types of investigations, from basic activity reports to complex corporate fraud investigations, and specialises in cheating partner or spouse investigations, corporate and private surveillance, bug detection and difficult surveillance operations.
It also sells and hire out surveillance, detection and recording equipment.
Walters and Setka have been involved in long-running legal battles over allegations the union boss breached court orders.
Walters is also suing the state government, claiming Victoria Police failed to protect her after she made reports of alleged domestic violence and harassment by Setka. He has denied allegations of domestic violence.
Magistrate Felicity Broughton noted that because Walters was not physically in court, “arrangements” would need to be made later in the day to re-sign her bail bond form.
The magistrate ordered Walters to return to court in July.
Walters denied the allegations when contacted by this masthead last week.
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