Charges dismissed in case of rigged Australian of the Year bets
Mr. Shannon is accused of being aware that sexual assault survivor advocate Grace Tame would win the 2021 Australian of the Year gong before placing bets.
Charges against a man accused of placing rigged bets on the Australian of the Year competition have been dropped on mental health grounds.
A magistrate opted on March 13 to dismiss six charges of insider betting against Christopher John Shannon after he pleaded guilty to one of the counts.
The charge to which he pleaded guilty was then also dismissed on the grounds that Mr. Shannon complied with all directions from his treating psychologist.
It was alleged the 48-year-old from Collaroy, on Sydney’s northern beaches, used information from a commonwealth employee to bet on the Australian of the Year competition between 2017 and 2021.
Mr. Shannon allegedly knew biomedical scientist Alan McKay-Sim would become Australian of the Year in 2017, followed by quantum physicist Michelle Simmons in 2018, allowing him to place bets on both.
He also allegedly knew Craig Challen and Richard Harris, two men who helped rescue a young soccer team from a Thai cave, would receive Australian of the Year in 2019.
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Mr. Shannon is said to have known in advance that Grace Tame, a champion for sexual assault survivors, would win the 2021 Australian of the Year award and placed bets accordingly.
He is also accused of betting on the 2021 Young Australian of the Year winner with prior knowledge of the outcome.
Allegedly, Mr. Shannon received $7,542 (US$4,925) from $1,767 (US$1,154) worth of bets placed.
The charges stemmed from irregular betting patterns identified by the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission related to the 2021 Australian of the Year awards, which were reported to the Australian Federal Police.
