Glamorous influencer Kate Szepanowski and her boyfriend Jordan Brennan want to press charges after three luxury watches seized in a raid went missing from the police safe
A popular social media influencer and her boyfriend are planning to take legal action after three luxury watches went missing following a raid on the couple's mansion. An officer is being charged for allegedly stealing the timepieces.
The designer watches are believed to be owned by influencer Kate Szepanowski and her boyfriend Jordan Roman Brennan.
Senior Constable Zac Chudleigh is facing criminal charges over the alleged theft of the watches, worth $410,000, after the items were seized during a police raid on a Gold Coast mansion rented by the couple in August 2020.
Detective Chudleigh allegedly stole two Audemars Piguet watches and a Hublot Big Bang Unico.
Chudleigh, who was part of Taskforce Maxima set up more than a decade ago to investigate serious gangland activity, is said to have stolen the items from a secure safe in a police warehouse.
Social media influencer Kate Szepanowski (pictured) along with her boyfriend will sue the state of Queensland after luxury watches were stolen after being seized in a raid on her Gold Coast mansion in 2020
He then allegedly sold the items to a Brisbane jewelery store for $92,000.
He was charged with fraud and theft and has yet to enter a plea while the case is ongoing.
Ms Szepanowski, who has almost 120,000 followers on Instagram, will join Brennan in suing the state of Queensland in an attempt to get the watches back or pay out their value in cash, along with other costs.
The state added Chudleigh to the case, saying the officer was responsible for the alleged theft of the watches after they were allegedly stolen on one of his days off.
He has also been accused of falsely stating that the watches would be returned to their owners.
The state also stated in its statement of defense that Brennan is not the original owner of the watches, as Szepanowski was in “possession” of the items at the time they were seized.
Ms Szepanowski (pictured) is believed to be the original owner of the missing watches
The influencer (pictured), who has nearly 120,000 Instagram followers, will join her boyfriend in a lawsuit to get the watches back or receive payment for the value of the watches, which are believed to be worth $410,000.
Police raided the couple's mansion as part of an investigation into Brennan allegedly assaulting a woman who stepped on Ms. Szepanowski's foot at a music festival in 2019.
The charges against Brennan were later dropped by police, but the watches seized in the raid were never returned.
Ms Szepanowski, who rented the property, told police the watches were in her care.
Lawyers representing Ms. Szepanowski are seeking to have their client added to the case, which will be heard in court in February.
Queensland Police have previously said an internal investigation into the missing watches was underway.
“This matter is currently under investigation by the QPS Ethical Standards Command and as such no further comment can be made at this time,” the report said in a statement.
Queensland Police issued a statement in May last year saying the 30-year-old detective had been dismissed from his position.