A major scandal involving a prominent married Queenslander – who had an extramarital affair and is battling in court to keep his identity secret – began with a dramatic police raid involving firearms and explosives.

The revelation comes as the man continues to be widely identified on social media – even as the courts persist in gagging the mainstream press in what can only be described as a farce.

But in a surprising twist that can be legally reported, we can reveal the saga dominating whispers in powerful circles began four months ago, when officers stormed a Cairns man’s property in North Queensland.

Bizarrely, instead of finding weapons or explosives, police seized two freshwater turtles from a tank.

That unexpected confiscation triggered an unlikely chain of events, ultimately leading the state’s most senior police officer to engage a top barrister in the fight to keep the prominent man’s name hidden.

On Wednesday, Jonathan Horton QC, on behalf of the Queensland Police Commissioner, argued behind closed doors in the case to continue suppression orders over the high-profile man’s name.

Had his officers not seized those turtles – named Donatello and Rachael, who are still in custody – in the first place, it could have been all so different.

What is now an epic legal battle began with a police raid on February 19 at the Bayview home of failed politician and local activist Shane Cuthbert.

Shane Cuthbert is arrested in his street by 40 heavily armed police in a firearms and explosives raid that yielded just two pet turtles… then set in motion an unexpected scandal

Shane Cuthbert called police for help and next thing he knew 40 heavily armed cops had surrounded his house, arrested him and seized his two pet turtles

Cuthbert, a former bikie associate and perennial independent candidate, had initially contacted police to report a stalker. 

When Cuthbert called police to complain his alleged stalker hadn’t been charged, he perhaps unwisely told them, ‘I have a history of firearms and detonating explosives – if I were stalking someone, you’d have the SWAT team here in ten minutes.’

Cuthbert later admitted to the Daily Mail, ‘I used to traffic guns and have a history of detonating explosive devices’ – though he has only served time for lesser offences, such as resisting arrest and breaching bail.

It took Cairns police three days to interpret Cuthbert’s comments as an alleged threat to shoot officers. That afternoon, 40 members of the Public Safety Response Team, armed with automatic weapons, descended on his home.

‘Come out with your hands up,’ they shouted from outside.

A shirtless Cuthbert emerged in his shorts, arrested and handcuffed in full view of his stunned neighbours.

He was taken away in a police truck but released four hours later on bail, with no conditions, facing a single charge of using a carriage service to menace, harass or offend – a charge to which he has pleaded not guilty.

Cuthbert had no firearms or explosives. Officers also searched another address where they found Cuthbert’s two Macquarie freshwater turtles.

Shane Cuthbert, 35, was raided by police who found no firearms or explosives – only his two pet turtles. His attempt to get Donatello and Rachael back set in motion a scandal involving a high-profile public figure now fighting to keep his name secret

Donatello and Rachael (one pictured) are still being held by police, says Shane, who was in court 10 days ago trying to get them back – when, to his surprise, a very high-profile man’s name came up in connection with an extramarital affair and extortion case

Police shouted, ‘Come out with your hands up,’ and a shirtless Cuthbert came out in his shorts, and was arrested and handcuffed in front of stunned neighbours

Donatello and Rachael – who had transitioned from her previous identity as Raphael after an initial gender misdetermination – were seized and Cuthbert was charged.

Cuthbert had legally obtained natives Donatello and Rachael, but his reptile licence to keep them was several months out of date.

The police raid that netted the turtles made Cairns news headlines as Cuthbert sued the police in a civil action to retrieve his beloved Don and Rach.

And so it was on Friday, May 29, that Cuthbert sat in Cairns Magistrates’ Court waiting for his matter to be mentioned before Acting Magistrate Gelma Meoli.

In court to cover the case were local reporters Grace Carter and Conor Byrne, from News Corp and the ABC, respectively.

As they waited, another case was called – a North Queensland man facing an extortion charge. His lawyer began outlining the substantive allegations.

Her client, she told the court, was charged with allegedly extorting a woman over an affair she had back in 2017.

Media flocked to Cairns courthouse, with the tantalising prospect that a man, described by a magistrate as having ‘a high-public profile’ and accused of an affair, might be unmasked

The allegation was that the accused had been in a relationship with the complainant. When the romance ended, he allegedly refused to pay the full amount she sought in a property settlement.

He also allegedly accessed her computer and phone, downloading or taking screenshots of emails and other data, which revealed an affair she had nine years earlier.

That affair, the court heard, was with… and this was when the name of the very high-profile married man was mentioned.

Had Cuthbert and the two journalists covering his case not been present, the name might have escaped notice entirely.

Realising what had just been heard by two members of the press who presumably could not believe their luck, a startled Magistrate Meoli immediately adjourned the court and scurried away, returning after half an hour to impose an interim non-publication order on the important man’s name.

The ABC subsequently ran the story about the mysterious married man – later dubbed MM – whose 2017 affair was linked to an extortion case.

A defiant Cuthbert went a step further, posting the man’s name on social media – an act for which he was roundly criticised the following Monday, even after he had taken the posts down.

But by then, the cat was out of the bag.

By Monday night, the media weighed in, running stories about the prominent man accompanied by avatars of an anonymous figure. 

Cuthbert, who once had links to bikie gangs, perhaps unwisely told police they’d have a SWAT team at his door within minutes if he were the one doing the stalking

Rachael, a Macquarie freshwater turtle formerly known as Raphael, remains in police custody as Shane Cuthbert fights to get his pets back after they were seized during a firearms and explosives raid

Like countless suppression orders, it has created a two-tier system where insiders freely name the man, while the courts ensure the wider public remains in the dark.

By Monday’s hearing, the previous week’s prosecutor had been replaced by a more senior police sergeant, while the accused extortionist was now represented by both a solicitor and barrister Bridie Billic.

Ms Billic argued that the suppression order – which covered her client, the female complainant, and MM – should not apply to the latter because he was not a party to the case.

At that point, Magistrate Meoli appeared to agree, remarking that the horse had already bolted: ‘We can’t undo what has been done, and it has now been taken down.’

She added that it was up to police to charge whoever had published the name online.

Sitting in court at the time, Cuthbert wondered when that might happen.

He is still wondering, and although police this week charged him with something unrelated, they seemed to be avoiding giving the MM issue any further attention than absolutely necessary.

On June 1, the prosecution argued that naming the complainant could deter others from coming forward anonymously regarding alleged extortion – because it might expose them to the very issue they wished to report.

Magistrate Meoli held that the suppression order did not extend to MM, only to the complainant and the alleged extortionist.

Defence counsel added that there was no precedent for a non-publication order in an extortion case extending beyond the protection of the complainant.

Magistrate Meoli extended the interim non-publication order for another week, adjourning the matter to Monday, June 8. 

Shane has been assured that his Macquarie freshwater turtles (pictured above with him at home) are alive, and that he can visit them at a Department of Environment facility in Cairns

Shane Cuthbert is a former bikie associate and prison inmate who turned his life around, gaining degrees in psychology and law. He hopes to practise as a defence lawyer in the future

In the days that followed, media interest grew, fuelled by the possibility that the high-profile name would soon be revealed.

By the evening of Sunday, June 7, a dozen reporters had flown into town and stories naming the man were written, edited and prepared for publication.

The Daily Mail was among those who packed Magistrate Meoli’s court on Monday, as four media organisations engaged a silk, Andrew O’Brien KC, along with barrister Ben Cohen, to argue for lifting the suppression order.

Meanwhile, the police case for maintaining suppression intensified, with prosecutor Senior Sergeant Maynard Marcum now representing Queensland Police Commissioner Brett Pointing, seeking to have the order made permanent.

Mr Marcum argued that the court should be closed for submissions, while Mr O’Brien insisted proceedings remain open, calling a closed court ‘drastic and inappropriate’.

Ultimately, Magistrate Meoli allowed the media to stay, but Cuthbert was ejected. He left quietly and without protest.

Mr O’Brien KC argued that MM should not be granted anonymity simply to protect him from embarrassment, or because blackmail laws permitted it.

On February 19, 40 heavily armed police swarmed into Cuthbert’s house and raided it for firearms and explosives. They found nothing

Instead, at another address, police found and seized two freshwater turtles, Donatello and Rachael. They have remained in custody for four months, but Shane now has visitation rights

‘Orders are not intended to shield any party from embarrassment, reputational harm or other collateral disadvantages,’ he submitted. 

He described the alleged affair between the prominent man and the Cairns woman as a ‘guilty secret’, arguing that the extortion case should not be subject to the same legal constraints as blackmail.

He explained that blackmail involves two parties sharing a guilty secret, whereas ‘an extortion case is different – it’s one person exposing another’s guilty secrets.

‘In an extortion case, it’s the complainant the court seeks to protect. That’s not to say the married man wouldn’t have a remedy – he hasn’t sought an injunction from the Supreme Court.’

Mr O’Brien added: ‘It is unfathomable that [the prominent man] isn’t aware of these proceedings.’

The court heard that the alleged extortion involved threats to approach the married man, his wife and his workplace, coupled with a demand for the complainant to have the married man cover the shortfall in a property settlement.

The high-profile case will return for hearing before the Cairns Supreme Court on July 31

Magistrate Meoli delivered her judgement, stressing the importance of victims feeling safe to come forward and report allegations to police.

She also noted: ‘I acknowledge that the married man has a high public profile.’

‘This order applies to any person, whether they’re high-profile or not. It is not intended to protect any party from embarrassment, reputational harm, or other collateral disadvantages.’

The threat of exposing the married man strikes at the very heart of the matter, Magistrate Meoli said.

‘Not suppressing the married man’s name offers the complainant no protection and enables the respondent to achieve publicly the exact nature of the alleged offence.

‘The exception exists to ensure the proper administration of justice and to allow victims of this type of offence to feel safe.’

Maynard Marcum left court victorious, giving Cuthbert a look that was anything but friendly as he passed by in the corridor.

Outside, the media lawyers and those representing the accused extortionist quickly agreed that the magistrates’ court was not the proper forum for such a decision.

Just as the married man could appeal to a higher court, so could they – and they promptly applied for a judicial review in the Cairns Supreme Court.

By Monday afternoon, several journalists, having boosted the Cairns economy, decided to leave and fly home.

Others, including the Daily Mail, stayed on for what would become an even more high-powered legal battle at the top level of the Cairns court building.

Andrew O’Brien KC would be squaring off with fellow King’s Counsel Jonathan Horton KC, appearing via AVL from Brisbane.

This time, proceedings were conducted in closed court, with no media permitted. The outcome was perhaps predictable: the case is now adjourned for hearing on July 31.

So the high-profile married man has fewer than 50 days’ breathing space.

The community will have to wait to hear his name spoken publicly – a name already known to everyone in the media and, presumably, within the man’s circle.

Cuthbert, the man who started it all, is disappointed but hopeful.

Meanwhile, he’s fighting to get Donatello and Rachael back, joking that they’re ‘in custody with no parole and no right of reply’.

Police confirm that the turtles remain alive and Cuthbert has now been granted visitation rights at the Department of the Environment office in Cairns.

He has been assured the pair are being well cared for. He can’t wait to bring them home.

Whether that happens before the now-anonymous, unfaithful married man returns to the Cairns courthouse for another battle to keep his name secret remains to be seen.