Former fugitive Daniel Allan Baker will find out this week whether gets bail to help his partner raise their newborn son.
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Mr Baker, faces 11 charges of fraud, stealing and misconduct dating back to his time as the Camooweal Police Officer-in-Charge and applied for bail in a video appearance in Mount Isa Magistrates Court on Monday, June 10.
Mr Baker's Legal Aid representative said if he was to receive bail and reside in Maleny, Mr Baker had prospects of employment and would be near his partner and child.
"His partner Rachel Moore in the last few days has given birth to his son, their first born child. (She is) currently in Adelaide but intends to relocate to Queensland should he get bail so they could be together as a family and a support to him," the lawyer said.
"There is no real suggestion that he is at risk of re-offending or a risk to the safety of community in other ways.
"He has experience working in the racing industry and prospects of employment with the Brisbane Eagle Farm Racecourse or the Sunshine Coast Racecourse."
The Legal Aid representative also said there were other measures that could be put in place including reporting to Maleny Police Station, implement a curfew or a GPS tracker.
However police prosecutor Sergeant Chris Hutchins objected to the bail application and said he had concerns for Mr Baker after a warrant was placed for his arrest in November 6, 2017 for failing to appear, after which he went missing for 15 months.
"He is not new to the justice system, he was a serving police officer and this matter has been delayed for some time now, due to being unable to locate Mr Baker," Sgt Hutchins said.
"He is well aware of his obligations to the court, well aware of the way in which we locate persons and that is why he has gone to certain lengths to be failed to be located.
"He is also aware of the difficulty if he leaves the Queensland jurisdiction that he places on Queensland police officers to locate him and that it requires other services to locate him and be extradited."
Sgt Hutchins said if Mr Baker was released they would be back in the same situation.
"There is not a wall that would stop him from going over the border," he said.
Mount Isa Acting Magistrate Richard Lehmann raised concerns in relation to Baker serving too much time in custody prior to these matters being finalised.
"The amount to fraud under $20,000. That is still within range of a non-custodial sentence on a plea of guilty when it comes to that," Magistrate Lehmann said.
The court also heard finer details on the amount of money that Mr Baker stole.
"There is only $2262 that amounted to any loss alleged by the police, so of it about $17,000 is cheques that were paid late.
"There is $800 that still hasn't been accounted for.
"Although serious allegations for a person in a position of trust the amount is still relevantly small.
"I have also obtained records in relation to periods of time that he had clear acute mental health issues and have obtained mental health records."
Mount Isa Acting Magistrate Richard Lehmann will make a decision on application for bail on Friday June 14 at 8.30am.
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