Renowned Gold Coast cinematographer Simon Evangelos Christidis has had a stalking charge dismissed, with a magistrate finding a person connected to the complainant had “abused” police resources in pursuing the case.
The 56-year-old Runaway Bay resident appeared in Southport Magistrates Court facing an allegation he unlawfully stalked a person known to him between March 2024 and March 2025, including through personal communications and the use of an AirTag attached to a vehicle.
The court heard there was a dispute over ownership of the vehicle and that Christidis routinely used AirTags to track his property.
A key piece of prosecution evidence was a psychological report prepared by Dr Andrew Nicholls, who told the court the complainant had raised concerns during therapy sessions about being tracked. However, under cross-examination, Dr Nicholls confirmed he had shared a draft report with a person connected to the complainant, inviting feedback and suggesting they work to make it “nice and strong”.
Magistrate Stephen Kissick found the report had no forensic value, saying it appeared Dr Nicholls and the third party had worked together to strengthen the case. He also noted it was common knowledge among those involved that the AirTag was in the vehicle.
Dismissing the charge, Magistrate Kissick expressed concern about the quality of the evidence and found police had effectively been manipulated into bringing the prosecution.
“[The person connected to the complainant] has abused the privilege of the police service,” he said.
Christidis broke down in tears as the charge was dismissed. His lawyer, Joshua Tiffin of Jacobson Mahony Lawyers, later said the matter “should not have resulted in a prosecution”.
Source: Gold Coast Bulletin
