Thomson 'spent $2500 in a night'

Charges against Craig Thomson have been dropped after a magistrate ruled they couldn't be heard in Victoria.

EXPLOSIVE allegations about former MP Craig Thomson's appetite for porn and prostitutes have been aired publicly, including detailsl of a private spa room at brothel Tiffany's.

Prosecutors finally started outlining their fraud case against Mr Thomson yesterday, detailing in court for the first time allegations he used $28,449 of union funds to pay for sexual services, R-Rated movies, cigarettes, and flights across the country.

The Melbourne Magistrates' Court heard Mr Thomson would sometimes use the alias "Jeff Thomson" - not to be confused with the Aussie cricket legend - when hiring escorts.

It was alleged that while Health Services Union boss between 2002 and 2007, Mr Thomson hired escorts ranging in price from $240 an hour to $770 an hour and used union funds to pay them.

Lead prosecutor Lesley Taylor, SC, outlined dozens of the 66 individual incidents in which the Crown alleges Mr Thomson fraudulently used union credit cards.

Ms Taylor said one of the alleged escort dalliances took place in the exclusive "red turbo spa room'' at Sydney brothel Tiffany's Girls, and cost $418 for 90 minutes.

Mr Thomson called himself Jeff when he ordered an escort named "Tracie'' to his Sydney hotel room in 2003, at a cost of $200 to HSU members, it was alleged.

Craig Thomson arrives at Melbourne Magistrates' Court.

The court heard on one occasion in 2005, Mr Thomson charged $2475 to union credit cards for escort services in a Sydney hotel.

On another occasion he allegedly ordered sexual services to the Westin in Sydney, at a cost of $770 an hour for the services of "Alina", the night before his wife joined him in the same hotel.

The court heard Mr Thomson called for sexual services on at least 10 occasions and often withdrew cash from ATMs to pay for them.

On some nights, Thomson is accused of ordering both adult movies and female escorts to his hotel room.

Thomson is also accused of using union funds to pay for a hire car, accommodation and flights from Melbourne to Sydney when he and his former wife were searching for a NSW rental property.

Prosecutor Lesley Taylor said Thomson would later instruct an HSU employee to enter the misused money as legitimate expenses in the union's accounts.

Thomson is accused of beginning the fraud in October 2002, shortly after he became secretary, and continuing his illegal spending until February 2008, several months after he was elected to federal parliament.

It has taken almost 12 months for the case to be fully aired in courts after months of adjournments and legal arguments between prosecutors and Mr Thomson's high-powered legal team led by prominent QC Greg James.

The DPP is planning to appeal a ruling by Magistrate Charlie Rozencwajg to withdraw 79 of 224 charges because he found the court did not have jurisdiction to hear the charges because the alleged offending didn't occur in Victoria.

Mr Rozencwajg said yesterday prosecutors had been given more than enough time to prepare their case against Mr Thomson.

"I don't see the problem with proceeding with what we've got," he said.

"You've had so much time in this case. it's about time you bite the bullet."

An appeal could take 12 months to finalise, the court heard.

shannon.deery@news.com.au

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