Blackmail defendant brands Crowe 'a troublemaker'
A man accused of attempting to blackmail Russell Crowe said the actor was a troublemaker, a court in Australia has been told.
Malcolm Brian Mercer said Crowe deserved to be exposed for getting involved in a street brawl, the district court in Coffs Harbor heard.
Mercer and Philip Antony Cropper are charged with trying to extort money from the actor in exchange for destroying a security video.
The video taken in 1999 shows the actor fighting with a man outside a nightclub.
The pair, who have pleaded not guilty, face a maximum sentence of 10 years if convicted.
During the second day of the 38-year-old men's trial in the resort town where the incident occurred, the owner of a local bar and a friend of Crowe's told the jury he was approached by Mercer a few days after the brawl.
Martin Phillips said Mercer told him he had a security tape that a national current affairs television show would be interested in airing.
"I reckon they would pay 50 grand (€29,000)," Phillips said Mercer told him. "This is Russell Crowe, he is big time you know. If the Yanks got on to this, who knows what they're worth."
Phillips said Mercer tried to justify his plans by saying Crowe had "played up before... he's started that much trouble, headbutting people and bashing people."
Mercer and Cropper later demanded Au$200,000 (€118,000) from Crowe in exchange for destroying the tape, prosecutors said on Wednesday.
Crowe is believed to be shooting a film in Mexico and has not been present for the proceedings in Coffs Harbor, 450 kilometers (280 miles) north of Sydney. The actor owns a cattle ranch nearby.
Defence lawyers have said they wish to subpoena the Oscar winner to give evidence at the trial.
