Underbelly Story Is Wrong

The third Underbelly series is under threat from a star of the real-life version - a former cop who claims she may be defamed by being intimately linked with Kings Cross identity John Ibrahim. Former NSW police constable Wendy Hatfield yesterday launched a pre-emptive strike against Channel 9 and production company Screentime, even though she hasn't seen a single episode of the series. Through her lawyers, she argued the TV show was based on the book - Underbelly: The Golden Mile - which defamed her by claiming she "had a sexual relationship with John Ibrahim, knowing him to be a criminal".

It also implied she was guilty of perjury, the court heard. Ms Hatfield also alleged she was defamed because the program implied "she is a person of little intelligence", that she "achieved promotion in the police force by granting sexual favours" and that she "is guilty of a number of acts of misconduct by reason of her relationship with Ibrahim, a criminal", court documents stated.


Her barrister Sue Chrysanthou sought access to five episodes of the series, with the next step being a defamation action - and possibly an injunction to stop the broadcast. Ms Hatfield, who lives in Victoria and whose married surname is Chambers, has long been linked to Mr Ibrahim. The Wood Royal Commission into police corruption in the mid-1990s heard the pair had a two-month affair and they had taken a mid-week getaway to go out on a dive boat off Forster on the state's North Coast.

When asked about it in the witness box, Mr Ibrahim declined to answer questions about their relationship. His lawyer Stephen Alexander yesterday said his client spent four hours in the cells for refusing to answer on grounds of relevance. Ms Hatfield, who resigned from the police force, still maintains her denial at the commission that she had a sexual relationship with Mr Ibrahim, but accepted she did go with him on the Forster trip.

Ms Chrysanthou said her client's reputation would be destroyed if the series was aired to millions of Australians. "She can't come back from that," she said.

Both Channel 9 and Screentime denied any wrongdoing and said they would vigorously defend any suggestion of defamation. Plenty of online material and other publications have confirmed the character of "Constable Wendy", played by former Home And Away actress Jessica Tovey, is a star of the series. Firass Dirani, the actor who plays Mr Ibrahim, has also reportedly said his "hardest scene" was when he got 'hot and heavy with Wendy'. "It was full on," said Dirani, who was okayed by Ibrahim to play him. "Getting naked in front of six people is quite bizarre. I've warned Mum; she's trying to prepare herself."

Justice Ian Harrison will hand his decision down next Friday.
Read more on this article...

Nudity And Sex Makes You Feel Dirty

Violence, sex and nudity - expect a double dose of it all when the raciest Underbelly series yet screens next year. Raunchy scenes will be the centrepiece for Underbelly: The Golden Mile, which revolves around the tales of three different characters. The 13-part series explores John Ibrahim's rise to become King of the Cross, the story of police corruption whistleblower Deborah Locke and former prostitute-turned-police trainee Kim Hollingsworth.

After four months acting out the cruel and harrowing life of Hollingsworth, actress Emma Booth will take a rest from the most exhausting role of her career. No prude when it comes to getting her gear off, Booth, who won an AFI for her performance in 2007 film Clubland, said showing off her assets for Underbelly had left her disgusted.


"Doing the nude scenes in this one has made me feel a little dirtier," the 27-year-old Perth-raised actress said. "Playing a prostitute has given me a new-found respect for prostitution because there are days I go home and just feel dirty. I think I've come to terms with the fact I do feel a bit violated in this role and that's fine because that is how she felt, so I just use it."

The rising star, who shed her clothes to play feminist Germaine Greer alongside British actress Sienna Miller in yet-to-be released film Hippie Hippie Shake, said playing Hollingsworth had consumed her life. "I don't cope with it really. It's hard to leave behind characters and she's going to be hard to shake," said Booth, who grabbed the attention of producers by doing a topless scene in her first audition tape.

"There are times when I feel completely dirty and and that's hard because it doesn't always feel comfortable and it doesn't always feel nice, especially when you're not feeling that great in your body. I go up and down with my weight so if I am having a great day great, but sometimes when you feel bloated it's horrible to have to do."

Underbelly: The Golden Mile is set in Kings Cross in 1989 where bent cops, criminals and colourful characters all converged to make their mark and ends with the 1995 Wood Royal Commission.

The Channel 9 drama is expected to return on Sunday nights at 8.30pm in March.
Read more on this article...