Former Olympic swimming champion Neil Brooks and his wife Linda were ‘ecstatic’ at learning their long-running fraud charges were about to be formally abandoned in a Brisbane court.
The pair had been accused of making dishonest representations to induce investor Glenn Melcheck and his wife to pay $1.95million for a 50 per cent stake in their sports merchandise company in 2008.
After being introduced in late 2007 by a third party, the Brooks and the Melchecks held a series of meetings before signing an agreement in January 2008.
Days later, the Melchecks paid a $50,000 deposit before the now-defunct company collapsed within months.
In Brisbane District Court on Wednesday, prosecutors told Judge Anthony Rafter they would not proceed with the case, effectively ending the prosecution.
The Brooks’ lawyer Daniel Hannay said they were finally vindicated after almost a decade.
Neil Brooks (centre) and his wife Linda are pictured outside a Brisbane court in 2022
The couple were arrested at airports as they returned to Australia in late 2017 before being charged with an alleged fraud worth $1.95million
Brooks (pictured at the 1986 Commonwealth Games) is best known for winning gold in the 4x100m medley relay at the 1980 Olympics
‘We had a FaceTime discussion last night where I gave them the good news, they were both overseas,’ he said in a statement.
‘There were lots of tears – but not many words. They are both ecstatic that the matter is finally over, and they can move on with their lives.’
The Brooks were charged in 2017 and during the proceedings, the court heard about alleged relationships with major European football clubs, including Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United.
Neil Brooks was arrested when he flew into Brisbane International Airport and surrendered to detectives from the Financial and Cyber Crime Group in November 2017.
Linda Brooks was arrested and charged with fraud over similar allegations after flying into Perth International Airport on October 13 that year.
Prosecutors had alleged the couple, as directors of the company, made misleading claims about the business’s success and prospects to induce the investment.
Brooks won gold at the 1980 Moscow Olympics and was part of Australia’s famed ‘Mean Machine’ 4x100m medley relay team before going on to work as a television presenter.
